


Tempted

by the_purple_black



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Butterfly Effect, Dark Tonks, Dark!Tonks, Death Eaters, Evil, F/M, Manipulation, Slytherin, Temptation, dark Nymphadora Tonks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2018-11-20 11:08:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 52
Words: 189,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11334498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_purple_black/pseuds/the_purple_black
Summary: In a world where Bellatrix Lestrange was never arrested for her crimes she spends the years before her masters return preparing and searching for him. Though when she discovers her young niece, she sees the perfect soldier for his cause and makes it her mission to tempt her away from her good girl ways and over to her way of seeing. DARK TONKS AU





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story will follow Bellatrix in an AU where she and her husband never got arrested for the crimes they committed against the Longbottoms. Leading to them searching for their master and preparing for his return with . . . interesting results. I am literally so excited for this story and already know exactly where I'm going with this (which is a rare blessing). 
> 
> So please enjoy my little story, I really hope you enjoy it! Please do leave a review if you have a moment, I love hearing your thoughts. :D
> 
> The Purple Black

The woman shivered on the floor, whispering nonsense under her breath as her eyes wildly scanned the room. She didn't even flinch as the tip of the Death Eaters heel nudged her from her side onto the flat of her back onto the floor.

"She's gone, Bellatrix." Rabastan spat, wiping the blood from his split lip. "Yet again it is a dead end . . . They knew  _nothing_."

Bellatrix turned her gaze to her brother in law, her black eyes lit with fury. Rabastan shook his head, looking with disgust to the two quivering Aurors, a once strong pair reduced to a babbling mess on the floor.

"We got rid of them." Bella hissed "He wanted them eliminated and now they are."

"He is not here, Bellatrix!" Rabastan yelled "That is the problem!"

"They  _know_ —"

" _Knew_." Rodolphus corrected, oddly calm as he spoke from his seat on the edge of the remnants of the Longbottom's sofa. "They  _knew_ —not 'know', past tense. Whatever they knew is lost in their broken sanity now."

Barty scoffed in amusement, licking his lips as he smirked down at the pair " _'Lost in their broken sanity_ '." He snickered "Sounds poetic."

"Yes." Bella couldn't help the twitch of a smirk on her lips before she looked between the three men "Kill them?"

Barty frowned, stepping forward as the rest of the group readied their wands to perform the deadly curse "Wait, if they know something—"

" _Gone_." Bellatrix hissed "Rod's right."

"Shame." Rabastan smirked "I was having fun."

"We are not here to have fun!" Bellatrix screeched, reaching her brother-in-law in two long strides as she jabbed her wand into his neck. "We came here to find The Dark Lord! You  _imbecile_! Maybe if you concentrated on the task at hand instead of—"

"Bellatrix get off of him!" Rodolphus roared, grabbing onto his wife and quickly yanking her into himself. He held her tightly as she struggled, trying to curse the pair of them until Rodolphus shook her suddenly, hissing in her ear " _Calm down_. We need to clean up, we need to get out, we do not need to fight between ourselves."

"Get. Off." Bellatrix growled, spinning from the man at her first opportunity. "You— _What is that?_ " she whispered.

All four of the Death Eaters in the room froze, wands firmly in their grasps as each looked to the source of the noise. A baby was crying. It was not something they had heard that night before, something they had not realised when they had been downstairs torturing the child's parents for information they could never get. The wards placed on the child's room must have lifted as the Longbottoms lost grips with their magic enough to no longer be able to hold such spells in place. Bellatrix and Rodolphus looked to each other as the two other men continued to stare at the source of the noise, as if they had never heard a child crying before in their lives.

"Rod . . ." Bella breathed.

He didn't say a word, merely gave the woman a slight nod as he moved to look from the previously drawn curtains. She didn't have to say what she was thinking, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange had worked together long enough to know the other's thoughts without asking. If whatever silencing or sleeping wards that were on the child had lifted there could be other spells at work that had also lifted. They were dealing with Aurors, there could be measures in place to alert the ministry. They had defeated the wards surrounding the place to get into the home, ensured they could not use their wands to send for any sorts of help . . . Though, the magic's that could come into effect after a person loses their self so fully . . .

"We need to leave." Rodolphus muttered.

Barty rolled his eyes "Well let's kill them fir—"

"No time." Bellatrix hissed, the sound of apparation clear in the distance.

"You two—" Rodolphus looked to his Rab and Barty, both standing to attention ready to fight "we're splitting up. Run—do not try to apparate until you are sure you're clear."

"But—"

"Just do it!" Bellatrix hissed, already running to the back of the small house. Rodolphus was quick on her trail as she heard the boys running to the front of the house. He quickly moved through the modest kitchen before placing a hand on his wife's hip, the woman already peering through the net curtains on the small back door window.

"I can't see anyone out here." Rodolphus whispered past his wife's shoulder.

"No . . . Maybe we should go fight the ones out front." Bellatrix couldn't help but smirk.

"The boys can handle them." Rodolphus replied "Come on." He turned to face his wife, nodding to the mask he knew she had concealed in her robes before looking out of the backdoor window yet again.

"I don't want to hide." Bellatrix hissed. "I want to fight."

"You won't have the chance to fight if you get caught up in this mess." The man reached within his robes, producing his Death Eater mask and placing it firmly on his face. He looked to his wife, not moving an inch before with a roll of her eyes she did the same, pulling her hood over her head to ensure her hair was covered for good measure.

Rodolphus grabbed her hand as he opened the back door, wincing as he could suddenly hear the sounds of his brother fighting along side Barty. They were too young, he should have taken his brother and left his wife to help Barty. It was too late now, they would be fine. That's all that he kept on telling himself. They crept the corner of the building, sticking as close to the walls as they could. They reached the corner of the building with ease, both restraining themselves from running to join the duel they could hear on the other side of the property. Bellatrix dug her nails into Rod's hand, prompting for him to look to her as she nodded towards the forest at the end of garden.

"We get to cover." Bella whispered. "Then we help the boys."

Rodolphus nodded in reply, raising his finger to his lips before with one last glance around the corner the pair quickly dashed for the treeline. Though it was too late, they were spotted as a hex came flinging their way. Bellatrix soon shielded the both of them rebounding the curse as she threw herself into the cover of the trees, her husband not that far behind her. Soon she was duelling furiously, parrying off the onslaught of spells thrown her way alongside her husband. It wasn't long before the lone Auror was knocked down, dead or unconscious she didn't care. She went to swoop forward, ready to go to help the boys escape as she heard a deafening yell.

"Rab." She whispered, clenching her teeth with renewed fury though the moment she went to step forward she felt an arm around her waist gripping onto her tightly. She went to scream to be let go before she felt the familiar hush in her ear from her husband. He ran, pulling her behind him. They ran and ran until Bellatrix was sure that her heart was about to explode with the exertion of it all. She was about to beg the man to stop when without a moments notice the familiar sense of side along apparation took over her and they were gone. The dark witch quickly took in the surroundings, her eyes wide in shock and fury as she realised her husband had taken them to their summer home in France.

"What are you doing!?" Bellatrix demanded.

"Calm down." Rodolphus took off his mask and death eaters cloak in a rush before throwing it on the bed. "Take it off Bellatrix . . . NOW!"

Bellatrix sneered at the man, unclasping her cloak and mask before throwing it on top of her husbands. He quickly waved his wand across the pile, the witch yelling in fury as she marched up to her husband and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?  _Why_  are we  _here_?"

"We've been here since this morning." Rodolphus spoke with a sense of calm that Bellatrix found both disconcerting and infuriating all at once. "We wanted to come to France to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Take your make-up and clothes off, get into a night dress."

"W—What?" Bellatrix spluttered, shocked by what she was hearing "What about the boys? What about  _your brother_?"

"They are more than capable of looking after themselves."

"Ha! That is a lie! You heard that duel! We had to fight off  _one man_ , Rodolphus!  _One_! How many were they holding back!?" Bellatrix screamed in the mans face, disgusted at him as he merely looked away from the woman. "No!" Bellatrix took the mans chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. "Look at me! We should have stayed! We should have fought and helped those boys! They are  _our_  responsibility! That's what he said! We trained them, Rodolphus! It is  _our fault_  if they get killed or captured. Do you not care!?"

The speed of Rodolphus took her off guard, a solid slap to her face hitting her away from him before she fell to the floor. She reached her hand to her cheek, it was not the first time her husband had hit her, it was almost expected now. " _Do not_  tell me that I do not care." Rodolphus growled, walking over to his wife and dragging her back to her feet "That is my  _little brother_. Don't you dare! I have to believe that he—that both of them—are smart enough to do as we told them. They'll get away. We will continue to search for our lord, if we cannot find him we will prepare for his return so that when he inevitably returns we can help and serve him as we always have." Rodolphus looked into the dark eyes of his wife, staring up at him as she seemed to calm slightly.

"But Rod . . ." Bella closed her eyes, shaking her head "We need to find him . . . We can't abandon his cause— _our_  cause."

"We won't, Ma Belle." Rodolphus pulled her into his arms, kissing her head as he held her closely. "We'll come back from this, I promise."

After a few moments in each others embrace, Rodolphus slowly caressing her back as she eventually relaxed in his arms. Before long the pair had readied their selves for bed, curling into each others arms under the silk sheets. Though neither couple slept well that night; both worrying on what had happened and what was still to come. The next morning Bellatrix turned to realise that her husband had already left her. She pulled herself up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes a small yawn escaped her as she summoned her dressing gown from the back of the door.

"Rod . . ." Bella sighed, tying her robe around herself as she walked towards the door.

She reached out for the door knob, her breath catching in her throat as her sleeve fell down to reveal her Dark Mark. The once beautiful jet black skull and snake had faded. It was still undoubtedly there but it was not as strong, not as  _bold_ as it once had been. Bella shook her head to snap herself out of it, holding her head high in renewed determination as she went to find her husband. The man sat at the dining room table, a plate of food freshly prepared by the elves untouched in front of him as he stared intently at that days copy of The Daily Prophet. Bella almost didn't want to know what it said, though from the look of defeat on her husbands face she could almost guess. She walked up beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder as she gently took the paper from beneath him so she could read it herself. There on the front page was potentially one of the most sickening things she had seen since the blasted paper declared the fall of her beloved master. 'Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr arrested as Death Eaters' she read the rest of the paper in silence, taking in each and every detail before she gently placed it in front of her husband.

"They said they acted alone." Rodolphus murmured. "The Longbottoms can't exactly say otherwise . . . you killed the Auror that saw us—which they also took the blame for, a 'stray spell' . . . No-one's looking for us."

"I can see that . . ." Bella watched her husband, reaching out and stroking the hair from his face. The pair locked eyes, a thousand words said between them without a single sound. It was in a rare moment of silent affection that Rodolphus wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and pulled her onto his lap, she curled into his arms as she nestled her head into his chest. "It will be okay . . . He'll come back. He'll get them out. . ."


	2. Nymphadora

**One year later . . .**

It was a cold winters evening, the sort of night that sent a chill down your spine at the mere thought of stepping out into the unforgiving night air. A dark witch peered out of the window, watching the trees of the grounds of Lestrange Manor swaying in the wind as she pulled her dress closer around herself. She closed her eyes for a moment before with a heavy heart she pulled up her left sleeve, her heavy lidded eyes peered open to wander to the space where her Dark Mark used to proudly sit. It had taken a few months but Rodolphus had come to her one evening with a way to cover the brand of their master. She had protested, screamed at the man as she declared she would never do such a thing. It took nearly an hour and ended with Bellatrix pinned down on her bed before her husband could force the spell upon her. It had hurt intensely, the dark magic within her mark screaming out in protest as it was forced into hiding. Bellatrix had been so furious that tears had spilled down her porcelain cheeks. Rodolphus had soon calmed her enough to talk though as he showed her the incantation that revealed their marks with ease yet again. It was a small comfort, though the spell Rodolphus had used only lasted a month at best. So every month she had to be put through the intense pain of covering her masters brand on her, yet every time it hurt a little less. Both Death Eaters would lay in each other's embrace after, talking of their plans and what information they had recently gathered. Their conversations became upsettingly shorter each time they had these conversations.

"Bella . . ." Rodolphus spoke softly as he approached his wife, curled on the window seat of his study with the days Daily Prophet. She had already read it two times since it had arrived only two hours previously, though it was more often than not that the woman would read the paper at least three times in a day.

"He's out there, Rod . . ." Bella whispered, wincing at the thought before looking to her husband.

"I know." Rodolphus sighed as he moved her feet to his lap as he sat opposite her.

"It's been an entire year . . . an entire year with nothing . . ." Bellatrix looked down to her mark again "He can't be—I know he isn't—He _is_ out there."

"I know." Rodolphus repeated, following his wife's gaze to the grounds of the manor.

"I keep on expecting him to call . . . to grab our cloaks and masks and go off on the next adventure . . ." Bellatrix let out of a huff of laughter before she looked to her husband.

"As do I." Rodolphus smiled sadly at her "But we are doing all we can to find him, to prepare for him."

"We are the only ones." Bellatrix wrinkled her nose in disgust, thinking of her brother-in-law and all others who had publicly denied The Dark Lord. They had gone to them discreetly, trying to rally their support in their plight to be reunited with their master. Rodolphus had needed to pull his wife away for fear of her torturing some sense into their once comrades on more than one occasion. "All those who once served him . . . They are useless."

"Well . . ." Rodolphus spoke carefully, knowing a single word out of place could cause his wife to slip into a mood with him that could last for days "if The Dark Lord has lost his army . . . perhaps we need to build him a new one. Find followers to his cause— _discreetly_ —train them to help us . . . to _serve_ him. If we cannot find him, we prepare for his return."

Bellatrix looked to her husband, her scrutinizing gaze falling over him as if waiting for the catch. After a moments pause the witch smirked in her amusement, sitting up and maneuvering herself to lay back upon her husband's chest. She took his large hand in her small feminine one, bringing his fingers to her lips and kissing them gently. "Okay . . . That sounds like a beautiful plan." Bella closed her eyes as Rod's arms wrapped around her, pressing his lips to her wild curls.

* * *

"Come on, Cissy." Bellatrix drawled. She had been in Twilfitt and Tattings for the best part of an hour and was starting to lose her patience with her younger sister. She had not wanted to leave the manor that day, more than happy to spend her day going over old newspapers. Though as Rodolphus had begun to 'worry' about her, the woman having learned a third language just so she could scan not only the French and English speaking countries for their lord but also the Spanish ones, he had told her she had needed to keep up appearances. He had practically forced her to go to her sister and take her shopping. Bella rolled her eyes at the mere thought, how she had become stuck in such a shop with not only her sister but her now two-year-old Nephew she would never know.

"Just a little longer, Bella." Narcissa sighed, smirking slightly as she watched her son tug on his Aunts skirts.

"I'm not picking you up." Bellatrix said, otherwise ignoring the small blonde child as she looked through the shop window.

"Bella." Draco frowned, confused at the lack of attention as he looked between his Aunt and his mother.

"Come here, Draco." Narcissa reached her hand out, smiling as the boy walked up to her. He hugged her skirts as his mother stroked his hair, looking back to the dresses the shop assistant had presented to her.

"Do you _need_ more dresses, Narcissa?" Bellatrix mused as she picked up a delicate hat from the window, inspecting the black lace that fell to cover the wearers face.

"Yes, Lucius and I have been invited to a ball—as have you if I remember correctly, you need a dress too." Narcissa stated, her gaze flickering to her sister as she sighed in annoyance "Bellatrix, that hat is for funerals."

"Oh?" Bellatrix smirked as she looked to her sister "Who's dying?" the witch pouted "Oh is it mother? Or father? Oh _please_ , Cissa. They're old enough for their own good, no?"

"Bella!" Narcissa gasped "Do not say such things."

"In public." Bella murmured as she placed the hat back on its stand. She knew her sister would not reprimand her for such words away from the risks of being overheard.

"Mumma." Draco whined, tugging on his mother's skirts until she relented and picked him up.

"You shouldn't give in to his demands so easily . . ." Bella muttered, looking back out of the window and the streets small crowd of witches and wizards going about their daily business.

"Bella," Narcissa huffed before smiling politely at the assistant who brought out a few more dresses for her to see. "he is my _son_. My only child. What he wants he gets, you know how it works with male heirs and the likes. He's aloud to be spoilt, to—"

"Narcissa!" Bellatrix hissed, her eyes wide as she looked out of the window "Cissy come look!"

"Bella, what—"

" _Come here_." Bellatrix growled impatiently, reaching her hand out. The moment she felt her sister's grasp she pulled her towards her, ignoring the grunt of annoyance from her sister and her nephews yelp at the sudden movement. " _There_." Bella pointed through the window to show her sister what she was looking at.

There on the street, outside the second hand broom store, was a woman that from a distance looked the carbon copy of the dark witch now watching her without her knowing. Andromeda Tonks had changed since the last time Bellatrix had seen her. Not only had she aged in the years since she had left The House of Black, her entire demeanor seemed to have shifted. She seemed happy, a smile on her face as she wore her emotions on her sleeve in away no Black sister ever would have in such a public setting, she still wore a corset and long dress as she had always been taught to yet the dress itself was undoubtedly not of the expensive materials the sisters were used to. Bellatrix furrowed her eyebrows as she looked to the woman, more interested in the little girl who ran up to her once sister. The pink haired child bumped into the woman, giggling as she stepped backwards and apologized whilst Andromeda merely shook her head in amusement and bent down to kiss the girls head.

"Who is that . . .?" Bellatrix breathed.

"I—" Narcissa chewed her lip, flinching as her eldest sister bore her gaze into her eyes "I don't know."

"Liar." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the woman "You know something I don't know. Tell me."

Narcissa shuffled on the spot uncomfortably, adjusting Draco in her arms as the two women looked back to the pair on the street oblivious to their gaze. "Nymphadora."

"Nymphadora?" Bellatrix huffed "And who, pray tell, is Nymphadora?"

". . . She's Andromeda's daughter." Narcissa flinched as Bellatrix shot her a glare, ready to question her again "Andromeda sent me a photograph when she was born— _before you ask,_ I never responded—she's . . . nine, I suppose? A Metamorphmagus. That's all I know."

"A Metamorphmagus?" Bella looked to her sister, her eyes wide with the wicked thought that had just come to her mind.

"Yes, a Metamorphmagus, it means—"

"I know what that means, Narcissa." Bellatrix hissed "We did not _all_ spend most of our time in classes fawning over Lucius Malfoy."

"Charming." Narcissa huffed, walking away from her sister as she returned to the arrangement of dresses. "Now, Bella, what do you think of these? You need a dress too you know." Narcissa took one of the darker dresses from the assistant, turning to face her sister. "Oh Bella, what are you up to?" Narcissa sighed as she realised her sister had left the shop, walking over to the window as she watched her discreetly follow Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks.

* * *

" _Mummy_?" Dora watched her feet as her mother walked beside her on their way to Gringotts, a mischievous grin on her small features.

"What do you want this time, Dora?" Andromeda asked in amusement, laughing as her daughter looked up to give her a face of false shock.

"This time?" Dora pouted, screwing up her features as her pink hair turned a pale blue "That's not fair."

"Oh?" Andromeda shook her head, stopping as reached out to stroke the girl's hair from her face "I thought I told you not to do that in public . . ."

"I can't help it." Dora protested "It does it by itself."

"True," Andromeda sighed "but you did that one on purpose sweetheart."

"Nooo." Dora shook her head, rolling her eyes as her mother gave her a knowing look "Okay I did." Dora screwed her features up as she returned her hair to its previous bubble gum pink "Better?"

"Dora . . ." Andromeda sighed before shaking her head before she continued on her way to the bank, taking her daughters hand in her own "It's fine. Now what do you want, darling?"

"Oh!" Dora grinned again as she suddenly remembered her plight into guilting her mother to have what she wanted. " _You know_ , I'll be _ten_ soon—that's _double figures_."

"In two months." Andromeda nodded.

" _No_." Dora groaned. "One month, two weeks and three days."

Andromeda couldn't help but laugh "Impressive."

"Yep." Dora grinned "Anyway! I think I'm old enough for my first proper broom."

"You've just had Christmas, Dora." Andromeda sighed "You got a lot, sweetheart."

"For my birthday!" Dora argued "That's one month, two weeks and three days away."

"Dora—"

"I'll take a second hand one." Dora pleaded, following her mother through the doors of Gringotts bank. "They're half the price of a new one, I don't mind having a second hand broom—for my first broom."

"I—" Andromeda looked down to her daughter, her wide dark eyes looking up at her with a pleading look only a small child could pass off. "I'll think about it." Andromeda raised her finger to stop her daughter as she went to protest "I said, I'll think about it."

" _Fine_." Dora groaned.

"Now come on, we need to go down to the vault." Andromeda went to walk again, holding back a sigh of annoyance as Nymphadora tugged on her hand again. "What now, Dora?"

"Can I stay here?" Dora asked "My tummy hurts, I don't want to go on those carts. You know Daddy said I get travel sick. I puked last time."

Andromeda chewed her lip, looking around the bank for a moment before she looked to her daughter again. She knew the real reason that her daughter had been sick; Ted had let their daughter go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in lieu of a proper lunch. Though Andromeda Tonks also knew that her daughter was just as stubborn as she was and was not going to give in any time soon, something she simply didn't have the time for today. "You see those seats by the door?" Andromeda pointed to the two empty chairs, waiting for her daughter to look back and nod before looking back to her. "You sit there. Don't move. Understood?"

"Okay." Dora nodded with a smile. She made a face as her mother bent down and kissed her head though the smile still remained on her features.

"I won't be long." Andromeda said, looking at the girl one last time before she went to present her key to the goblin.

Nymphadora went over to the seat, sitting down with a huff of instant boredom. She looked around the bank, the small amount of Witches and Wizards within the place. A small smile came to her lips as she watched a Wizard in strange clothing handing over what she recognised to be the notes of muggle money over to a goblin to convert for him.

"Nymphadora?"

The girl looked up, slightly taken a back by the appearance of the witch who looked so much like her own mother. She frowned for a moment, taking in the look of the witch as she smirked down at her before she took a breath and looked to her own two feet.

"I—I'm not supposed to speak to strangers." Dora mumbled. "Sorry."

"Well that's nothing to be sorry about." Bellatrix smirked, leaning against the wall beside the girl. "I wouldn't speak to _strange_ people either. Not safe." Bella shook her head, inspecting her nails with feigned indifference "Though, I'm hardly a stranger. Strange—" Bella shrugged "—maybe, but aren't the best people?"

Dora couldn't help but let out a giggle at that despite herself, looking up to the witch as she glanced down at her with a smirk. The girl tilted her head to the side, taking the woman's appearance in for a moment before their eyes met. "You look like Mummy . . ." Dora frowned "Why do you look like Mummy?"

Bellatrix bit her tongue, forcing herself not to glare at the girl for comparing her to her blood traitor sister as she forced a smile to stay on her lips. "Well I said I wasn't a stranger." Bellatrix hesitated for a moment, reminding herself of her plan as she forced herself to say what she knew the girl needed to her. "I . . . am your Mummy's sister. Oldest sister."

"Mummy never said anything about having a sister . . ." Dora furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Well she does." Bella said matter of factly, slipping into the seat beside the young girl as she turned to look at her properly. "You have to be related to someone to look like them."

"Well _duh._ " Dora said "I know that."

"You're smart." Bella smirked, reaching out and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her niece's ear "And pretty too . . ."

"Thanks." Dora blushed, her hair flushing red along with her cheeks.

"That's a neat trick." Bella said.

"Huh?" Dora looked to the witch in confusion, her eyes widening as she nodded to her hair. She pulled a lock in front of her face, biting her lip and scrunching up her features in concentration as she returned her hair to its previous bright pink. "Oh—Sorry, don't tell Mum."

"Why are you sorry?" Bellatrix frowned "You should be proud of your talents, being a Metamorphmagus is a rare talent. Most people would be jealous of such a rare skill."

"That's why Mummy says I shouldn't." Dora sighed "I shouldn't show off. Jealous people can be mean and people might take advantage."

"Well that's silly." Bellatrix shook her head "Do you like morphing?"

"Yes . . ."

"Well then you should do it as and when you please." Bellatrix shrugged. "What's life without the things you like doing? If you like doing it, do it."

Dora giggled "I like you."

"And I like you Nymphadora." Bellatrix smirked.

"You can call me Dora," Dora spluttered "if you want."

"Okay . . . _Dora_." Bellatrix said "You can call me . . . Auntie Bella—I suppose."

Dora grinned, looking to the entrance her mother had disappeared down for a moment before she looked back to her Aunt with a frown "Auntie Bella?" Dora spoke carefully, waiting for the witch next to her to raise an eyebrow in response before she continued "If you're my Auntie, why have I never met you before?"

"Well . . ." Bellatrix said, thinking carefully for a moment before she responded "your Mummy and I had a . . . disagreement . . . a long time ago . . . We haven't talked since." Bellatrix shrugged, shaking herself from her thoughts for a moment before she looked to her niece again "She didn't tell me she had such a pretty little girl though, I _had_ to meet you. I mean, think of all the years we've missed together—over something so silly. All the Christmas and Birthday presents I must owe you."

"My birthday is soon." Dora nodded "One month, two weeks and three days today."

"Is that so?" Bella raised an eyebrow, smirking as the girl nodded again with a smile. "Well, how about this: you give me your address and I'll make sure to send you something." Bellatrix smirked as the girl nodded in agreement to this. She reached into her handbag, searching the depths before with a triumphant gasp she pulled out a small piece of parchment and a self inking quill. "Here." Bella said as she passed the two items to the little girl, watching her scribble down her address before handing both back to her. Bella smiled as she looked at the address. "What neat handwriting."

"Thanks." Dora grinned. "Mummy makes me practise."

"I can see that." Bella nodded, her eyes flickering to where she expected her sister to return from soon before she stood, looking down at the girl. "I have to go now; my other sister will be looking for me."

"Wait—Mum has _two_ sisters?" Dora asked, her jaw dropping slightly in awe.

"Yes." Bella laughed "I'll write to you and tell you all about it if you wish." Bellatrix smirked as the little girl nodded, reaching and stroking her hair for a moment "You have to promise me something though." She straightened herself, smirking as the girl nodded again. This was too easy. "Don't tell Mummy about our little talk, okay?"

"Why?" Dora frowned.

"Because it would upset her, bring up old memories." Bella pouted. "I don't think she would like me talking to you—and then I couldn't send you your birthday presents or tell you about your other Aunt, could I? You don't want that, do you?"

". . . No." Dora bit her lip.

"So you won't tell mummy?" Bella raised an eyebrow "This is our little secret? Can you keep a secret, Dora?"

"Yes." Dora nodded proudly "I'm good at keeping secrets. Mummy still doesn't know that Daddy broke her favourite china dolly," she leant forward, whispering to her aunt "Mummy thinks it's hidden away because it scares me—but it doesn't."

Bella let out a huff of laughter "Well this is a secret you can't tell _anybody_ , understood?"

"Yep." Dora nodded.

"Good, I'll talk to you soon Dora." Bella winked at the girl, waving slightly as the girl grinned up at her before sneaking out back out of the bank before her once sister could return to her vault.

"Bellatrix!" the woman groaned as Narcissa's shrill voice called out to her as she descended the steps of the bank.

"Yes, Narcissa?" Bellatrix forced herself to smile innocently.

"What are you doing?" Narcissa hissed, weary of the people in the streets around them "Did you follow Andromeda? Why?"

"Narcissa . . ." Bellatrix sighed, smirking mischievously as she descended met her sister, reaching out and stroking little Draco's blonde locks from his head before returning her gaze to her sister. "Ask me no questions, I shall tell you no lies."

Narcissa shook her head, adjusting her son in her arms with an exasperated sigh. "You worry me, Bella."

"Oh you shouldn't worry about me." Bella chimed before she began to walk back to Twilfitt and Tattings "Come on—you said I needed a new dress."


	3. Auntie Bella

"Bella?" Rodolphus called for his wife as he walked the halls of Lestrange manor, sighing as he noticed the door to his study slightly ajar. He slipped quietly into the room, his wife barely acknowledging her presence as she wrote with severe concentration. Scrunched up parchment littered the desk, attempts at whatever Bellatrix was trying to do disregarded as she sat back with a sigh, finishing the sentence she was writing with a flourish before she looked to her husband.

"Yes, Rod?" Bellatrix sighed, putting her quill down as she sat back in the chair. "How can I help you?"

"That seems like something I should be saying to you in  _my_  study." Rodolphus chuckled.

"I couldn't concentrate in our room." Bellatrix pouted "Or the sitting room or library or—"

"Yes yes, I get the gist." Rodolphus smirked, walking around his desk to his wife. He leant down to place a kiss on her lips, grinning as she responded eagerly.

"Wait—" Bella pulled back after a moment, rolling her eyes in amusement at her husband's pout. She pressed a light kiss to his pout, reaching up to stroke the small stubble on his chin. "I need to finish this first."

"Well . . ." Rodolphus kissed the witches fingers before forcing himself to take a step back, summoning a chair as he sat down next to his wife. "How can I help?"

"You can help by being quiet . . ." Bellatrix smirked, picking up her quill again.

"Oh come on." Rodolphus teased "Let me help. Please? What are you writing? A letter? To whom?"

Bellatrix regarded the man for a moment, chewing her lip in consideration before she answered him "Nymphadora."

"Who's that?" Rodolphus tilted his head in thought, trying to remember if he knew someone with such a name. He was sure he would remember it if he did.

"You don't know her." Bellatrix said.

"Well then who is she?" Rod frowned "How do  _you_  know her?"

"Rodolphus," Bellatrix scoffed "I'm aloud to know people that you do not."

"I never said you weren't." Rodolphus said "Though I believe you're avoiding the question . . . Who is she?"

"She is . . ." Bellatrix thought for a moment, she knew Rodolphus wouldn't approve of this. Though she also knew she could convince him of its advantages, no matter how she had to do it. "She's my niece."

"Your niece?" Rodolphus couldn't hide the confusion from his face "Narcissa doesn't have a—" realisation came over the man's face, his lips pursing together as he took a calming breath " _Bellatrix?_ "

"Yes, Rodolphus?" Bellatrix asked, innocence dripping from her every syllable.

Rodolphus took a breath, pausing for a moment before he spoke again, staring intently at his wife "Does Andromeda have a child?"

"She . . ." Bellatrix hesitated before she looked to her husband. "She has a metamorphmagus child . . . Nymphadora. Who is nine—almost ten apparently."

"And how, pray tell, do you know this?" Rodolphus closed his eyes, trying to calm himself as he was sure Bellatrix had a good explanation to this.

"Well, I followed her—and Andromeda." Bellatrix gave the man a look as he opened his eyes to glare at her, ready to yell at her for such things. "I did not speak to  _her_  . . . Just Nymphadora, when Andromeda was distracted—I told the girl not to tell her mother of our encounter."

"She is a half blood, Bellatrix!" Rodolphus yelled, his annoyance too great as he stood from his chair.

"I know." Bellatrix replied, standing up to meet her husband "She is also a metamorphmagus—she can change her—"

"I know what a metamorphmagus is, Bellatrix!" Rodolphus hissed.

"Well then, you surely realise why I'm writing to her."

"No, I do not understand why you are writing to a nine-year-old half blood." Rodolphus sneered, pulling away as his wife reached out for him.

"I am writing to her because of  _our plan_ , Rodolphus." Bellatrix tried to get her husband to understand her, smirking as she saw the familiar glint of realisation in his eyes. "She will not be nine forever. She'll grow. She'll become a powerful witch, a witch who can change her appearance to be  _anything_  she desires—not to mention her Black blood, no matter how sullied it is. Now, Rodolphus, tell me: How would  _he_  feel if when he returned we could present him with such a powerful witch? I mean, surely—if he were with us now—he would encourage such a thing. I can tempt her away from her parents ways, be 'Auntie Bella', someone she can confide in, learn from, show her a better path . . . I mean, we could just kidnap her and convert her that way but that would be complicated—might raise suspicions when Mummy and Daddy go reporting such a thing to the ministry, no?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the man in her questioning, slowly stepping towards him again as she snaked her hand up his chest and around his neck, pleased when he did not pull away from her this time. "I will talk to her—probably meet with her too—in private, without her parents knowing. By the time she's through school she'll be more than ready to be the perfect Death Eater. Think of the advantage of such a witch, how much she could do for us—for  _him_."

Rodolphus groaned in defeat, his arms snaking around his wife's waist as he looked down into her black eyes, full of cunning evil "And what if your family find out of your liaisons with the half-blood. Do you not fear disownment?"

Bellatrix laughed, her face mere inches from her husbands " _Darling_ , no. They wouldn't." she shrugged "For starters, one disowned daughter is more than enough. Besides, do you really think a metamorphmagus is something my family would be able to resist? They would want to use her too."

"So you would let them?" Rodolphus asked.

"She is for The Dark Lord." Bellatrix wrinkled her nose "They would ruin her before she had the chance to serve him. I will only tell them of her if it gets to the point of them knowing or needing to know. I mean, I didn't know about her until Narcissa and I saw her in Diagon Alley yesterday, I'm sure they're just as ignorant to her. The girl did say that Mummy dearest tells her to not to morph in public, says people might take advantage." Bellatrix couldn't help but giggle at that "Well, I suppose Andy isn't wrong there."

"I have to admit . . . it seems like you've thought this through well." Rodolphus murmured, distracted by the beauty of the woman currently grinning up at him in her deliciously evil way. "So . . . You're going to write to her to start with?"

"Yes . . ." Bellatrix purred, lacing her fingers through his hair "Want to help?"

"Hmm . . . I can't say I approve of a half blood . . . but yes, I'll help." Rodolphus grinned as Bellatrix giggled in mischievous glee "But first, I think you need a break."

Bellatrix squealed in delight as Rodolphus lifted her onto the desk, kissing her neck as his desire for her took over. The dark witch smirked as she lay back on the desk, bringing her husband with her as thoughts of tempting little Nymphadora Tonks to the 'dark side' were temporarily forgotten in their heated passions.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks sat innocently at the dining room table, pushing a pile of peas around her plate with her fork as she rested her head on her hand. She was bored, something that was not uncommon for dinner time at the Tonks household. You see, Nymphadora Tonks was what you would call a 'fussy eater'. Nymphadora didn't particularly see herself as 'fussy' with her food, she just knew that certain things (mostly vegetables) were 'nasty' and she didn't have much interest in eating them no matter how hard her mother tried.

"Dora, stop playing." Andromeda sighed, putting her glass down to look at the girl properly.

"I'm not playing." Dora pouted "I  _want_  to be playing, but  _you_  won't let me."

"Dora, come on love." Ted smiled at his daughter from the end of the table "Why don't you just eat a few peas and then you can come watch the telly with me."

"She needs to eat all of them." Andromeda said, holding back a look of annoyance. It was fair to say that Ted Tonks was clearly the 'soft touch' when it came to the two parents.

"Daddy said I can eat a few." Dora snapped in reply, picking up three peas. She inspected them for a moment before she wrinkled her nose in distaste, throwing them into her mouth and swallowing as if she had been forced to eat dung flavoured jelly beans. "One, two, three! Done. I want to watch The Flintstones."

Andromeda raised her hand to stop her daughter running from the room "No, Nymphadora."

"Daddy said—!"

"Yes, but I said you had to eat them all first, didn't I?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the young girl, watching her purple and blue hair suddenly beginning to tinge red "Don't get angry at me, you know the rules."

"I don't like them!" Dora screamed "You know I don't like them!"

"Don't shout at your mother, Dora." Ted tried to speak firmly, though he wished for nothing more than his daughter and wife to stop glaring at each other.

"No!" Dora snapped, her hair fully red now "She knows I don't like peas! She doesn't have to eat stuff she doesn't like!"

"I am your mother!" Andromeda yelled back as she lost her temper "As long as you live under my roof you do as I say!"

"Well then I'll  _leave_!" Dora jutted her chin out, determination in her young voice.

"Eat your peas or go to bed now." Andromeda said simply.

"I hate you!" Dora yelled in reply.

" _Nymphadora_!" Ted yelled in his wife's defence "Don't talk to your mum like that! Apologise!"

"No!" Dora snapped, though when she looked to her mother she soon felt the hint of regret that letting such words slip out had caused. She didn't hate her mum . . . she hated peas and her mum made her eat peas . . . but she didn't hate her mum. She was nine years old, such silly remarks were bound to slip out. "Mum . . ."

"Go to your room, Nymphadora." Andromeda sighed, getting up from the table and drawing her wand to clear the plates.

"I—"

" _Go to your room_ , Nymphadora." She gave her daughter a warning look, the little girl staring up at her from her seat for a few moments before she let out a huff of anger and stormed from the room. Both adults paused until they heard the slamming of the girls bedroom upstairs, Ted wincing at the sound as Andromeda shook her head and begun to clear their dinner.

"Sorry, Dromeda." Ted sighed "I didn't mean to . . ."

"It's fine." Dromeda assured him, watching the plates whiz past her to wash themselves up in the kitchen. "She'll take any excuse for an argument at the moment. She's lucky, she has it easy with us."

Ted smiled sadly, getting up and wrapping his arms around his wife, kissing her cheek. He knew she what she meant; if she had done anything like that with her own parents . . . well, from the few stories she had told him about the Black household he dreaded to think what a screaming match over peas would get a child. Ted sighed as he squeezed his wife into himself "Come on, me and you can watch the telly."

"Ted, you know that muggle box confuses me." Andromeda shook her head, furrowing her brows as she pulled away "I mean, you said it's like talking portrait—but they speak back to you—they can't see you. How in Merlin's name is that normal?"

"Dromeda," Ted chuckled, kissing his wife "you can read a book whilst  _I_  watch the 'muggle box'. Okay?"

After a few moments of hesitation Andromeda nodded, letting Ted lead her to the living room though she couldn't help but stare up the stairway as she passed. If there was one thing for certain it was that Nymphadora Tonks had definitely inherited some Black traits.

* * *

Nymphadora stormed over to her bed the moment she entered her room, flopping down face first as she let out a groan of annoyance. "It's not fair." She mumbled into the pillows. This wasn't the first time she had been sent to bed early and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. Though as she peered up to the window she realised it was the first time in a long time it had happened before it was even dark. The sun was barely beginning to set as under the tops of the trees lining the back of her garden, though to be honest she couldn't see much of her garden with the large barn owl sitting in her window.

Dora shot up, her eyes wide as she looked to the thing. Why was the owl in her window seal? She never got mail. Did the stupid bird think she was going to give it her left overs again, because it was sorely mistaken—that was not the Tonks owl . . . Dora slowly got off of the bed, tiptoeing over to the bird as if she was sure it would fly off at any moment.

"Hello . . ." Dora whispered, looking around her room before she stepped in front of the bird. "Do you have something for me?" She looked to it's leg, grinning as she noticed a small letter which she hesitantly untied. "Thanks." She giggled, watching the bird fly off into the night before she ran back to her bed to sit.

The girl bit her lip in her excitement, all anger at her mother suddenly forgotten as her hair shot to a bubble-gum pink. She carefully turned the letter over, her small fingers trailing over the seal in awe of the crest firmly pressed into the black wax. She wasn't used to seeing crests on the seals of letters, only seeing them coming from places such as the Ministry and once on a letter her mother had gotten at least two years ago. The 9-year-old bit her lip so hard in her nerves that she winced at the shot of pain that went through her before she shook her head, internally demanding herself to pull herself together as she ripped the envelope around the seal. She was unsure why but part of her did not want to break the intricate design in the wax. The parchment within was just as fine as the envelope itself, a matching crest on the bottom of the parchment sitting proudly bellow the letter which was beautifully written in emerald green ink. Dora couldn't help but grin as she read the letter.

_Dear Dora,_

_It was lovely to meet you in Gringotts the other day, as I said it is a shame it has taken so long for us to meet. I hope my owl found you well, I am sorry that I had to instruct her to come straight back to me once she had ensured that you received the letter. I simply didn't want your Mummy to find out I had written to you—she may not like that you see—I will send her back tomorrow at around eight in the evening so you can write back to me in case you can't get to your parent's owl._

_I believe I promised to tell you of your Aunt Narcissa? Well, she is mine and your mother's youngest sister. She is married, her husband is Lucius Malfoy and they have a little boy together called Draco. He's two, so you're much older than him (and much more fun, I'd assume). He's very boring, running around and clinging to his mother all of the time. Nothing like you, you're clearly very independent and certainly have no need for your mother, or father for that matter, to know everything you do and help you all of the time. That's one of the reasons I can trust you to keep our relationship a secret._

_You will have to tell me the exact date of your birthday—and what presents you want of course! It can't be too large of course, or else your parents might question where you got it from. Tell me a few things that you want and I will see what I can do. Ten is an important birthday, double figures and all. Before you know it you will be at Hogwarts. Have you thought of that at all? What house do you think you'll be in? I was a Slytherin myself, as was your mother, your other aunt—all of your family on your mother's side in fact. Well, there was one who wasn't but he wasn't very nice, all the best people are Slytherin you see._

_It's a shame that I can't see you, though perhaps if we continue to write together I can find a way to meet with you without your parents finding out. Any ideas?_

_I can't wait to read your reply,_

_Auntie Bella_

Her hair was bright pink as she avidly read the letter over again. 'Auntie Bella' seemed brilliant to the little girl, asking for her ideas on when they could meet, talking to her about her Mummy's family (something her Mother would never do), offering to buy her presents. She was sure that was plural, would she get more than one? She held back a giggle of excitement as she went over to her desk to find out a piece of parchment and a pen (she had been temporarily banned from using a quil and ink until she learned how to prevent herself from spilling the pot over, her Dad had suggested the muggle alternative in the meantime). Nymphadora Tonks couldn't wait to talk to her Aunt again.


	4. Serpent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your Kudos and comments so far, I love hearing your comments and seeing people appreciating my work. Please do enjoy this latest chapter and let me know your thoughts.

Nymphadora Tonks made sure that she was as well behaved as possible for a week straight before she approached her mother, the older witch supervising the dirty dishes from their breakfast cleaning themselves in the sink whilst she read the mornings paper. It had been her Aunt's idea—to be perfectly good for a week that is—it wasn't a feat that Nymphadora could get away with very easily. There had been many a close call when she had to bite her tongue before she told her mother what she thought about making her tidy her room, a narrow miss or two when she very almost broke yet another vase and a well contained opinion of her parents making her go to bed before she had finished her favourite television show one night. But it would be worth it. Aunt Bella had promised that she would meet Dora today, in a park down the road that Dora sometimes went to play in. She had been writing to her Aunt for over a year now, multiple times a week, Bellatrix Lestrange knew her every little secret, her every little want in life and near enough everything about the young witch. She was desperate to see her again. But in order for her mother to agree to let her go out on her own whilst her father was at work she simply had to ensure that there was no excuse to say no to her request.

"You know you can't morph outside, don't you?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the girl above the paper, clearly still in two minds about giving in to her daughter's request. "There's muggle's living around here, Dora. I'm not sure they'd react well to you suddenly changing your appearance . . . it may not be too normal for a ten-year-old to have bright pink hair either . . ."

"Nearly eleven!" soon her bright pink locks turned into a light brown that matched her mothers "Better?" She asked, "Please mum, I'll be good."

"Maybe I should go with you . . ." Andromeda mused.

"I can go to the park on my own, it's only down the street—and you said that you wanted to do some gardening today." Dora spoke quickly before giving her mother her expertly practised puppy dog eyes. "Please mum. You'll get bored after ten minutes anyway. I'll be fine on my own."

Andromeda considered her for a few moments before with a sigh she nodded. "Fine. Dora wait!" Dora stopped from her goal of running from the door as she turned to look to her mother. Her mother smiled slightly as she accio'd the girl's backpack, placing a bottle of water and an apple in it. "You don't morph in front of muggles."

"I won't!" Dora protested.

"What do you do if you do?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow.

"I come straight back to you so you can fix it." Dora sighed.

Andromeda hesitated for a moment before she handed the girls bag out to her "Stay hydrated."

Dora rolled her eyes but grinned as she took her bag from her mother, reaching up and hugging her tightly to the woman's amused surprise. "Thanks, mum!" Dora yelled, squeezing her mum one last time before she ran from the house, narrowly avoiding tripping on the jutted out door frame.

She barely heard her mother yell to be back for lunch, she didn't mind, that was hours away. She happily skipped down the pathway to the front garden, carrying on down the street towards the park. She slowed down as she reached the place, frowning as it looked so empty. Usually, it would contain at least one or two other children, the weather was warm enough for February and it hadn't rained for a week. Dora shook the thought from her head as she carried on to the park. It didn't matter if she was the only one in the park—in fact it was better. She had the whole park to herself and her Aunt. She giggled to herself as she got onto one of the empty swings, kicking her feet off of the ground as she swayed back and forth.

"Good thing I repelled the muggle filth." A voice sounded behind the girl, she quickly turned to see her Aunt smirking at her. The woman looked so impressive to the young girl, with her elegant yet simple black dress, tall leather boots, her wild black curls pulled up into a messy bun that somehow still made her entire demeanour command authority. Yet as Bellatrix Lestrange grinned at the girl Dora couldn't help but grin back at her, running to the woman and hugging her tightly. "Happy to see me?"

"Yeah." Dora laughed, grinning as Bellatrix gave her a quick squeeze, patting her back. It was only as she reluctantly pulled away that she spotted her hair, her eyes widening in fear "Oh no! The muggles." She looked around frantically, only calming slightly as her Aunt put a hand on her arm and motioned for her to morph it.

"I repelled them." Bella said, stroking a stray hair out of the girl's hair before with a sigh she went to sit on one of the benches, taking the girl to sit next to her.

"How?" Dora asked, blushing slightly as Bella raised an amused eyebrow at the girl. "Magic?" Bellatrix nodded. "Okay, duh . . . Why?"

"You don't want muggles near you, Nymphadora." The woman wrinkled her nose, shaking her head before she sighed at the little girl's obvious confusion. "Why do you think your Mummy doesn't want you morphing in front of muggles?"

"Um . . . because they're not used to magic?" Dora offered, frowning at her Aunt's huff.

"No, Dora." Bellatrix sighed, twisting in her seat to face the girl. "Well . . . there is that too I suppose. But they would be jealous of your powers, you are a particularly powerful witch after all," Bella smirked as the little girl blushed, reaching out and placing a hand on the little girl's hand. "they would take you away. They would experiment on you and use you until they could figure out how to take your powers."

Dora's eyes instantly widened "B-But muggles can't take your magic."

"They can try." Bellatrix shrugged. "They will try and try until . . . well . . . best not to think of that, pet."

"Right . . ." Dora muttered.

"I won't let the muggles get you." Bella looked to the girl sympathetically. "Just steer clear of them and Muggle things, you could catch something—it could be affecting your magic."

"O—Okay . . ." Dora nodded, looking down to her feet as she thought to all of the muggle things her father had brought into her home. She enjoyed watching the television for starters but if that was going to affect her magic maybe she should steer clear of it . . .

"Don't worry. You'll be eleven soon, won't you?" Dora smiled and nodded as she looked up to her Aunt. "Then you'll be off to Hogwarts, not a muggle to be seen. Just Mudbloods to put up with."

Dora nodded again slightly, she was used to her Aunt using the 'm word' having seen it in multiple letters she had written to her in the past. She knew it was a word that she wasn't supposed to say, it was seen as a bad word as far as her parents were concerned so it was best if she didn't repeat what her Aunt said. But Dora was determined not to look like an idiot in front of her Aunt, she treated her like an adult unlike everyone else and she wasn't about to start telling her that she was using bad words and make herself seem like a child. Besides, the more she heard it the less she believed it was such a bad word.

"Here." Dora looked up to see her Aunt holding out a small parcel out for her. "I thought it may be easier to give you your present now, rather than trying to sneak it past your parents in a couple of weeks."

"Can I open it now?" Dora grinned, taking it from her Aunt.

"But it's not your birthday yet." Bella teased, laughing as she nudged the girl "Of course you can open it, silly girl."

The paper was ripped before Bella even finished her sentence, throwing the paper away as she turned the book over in her hands. It looked old, well read, there was no title on the cover just strange symbols.

"It was my first Dark Arts book." Bellatrix whispered. "I got it when I was around your age. It's where I first read about some of my favourite spells . . . It was once very special to me. Now I think it's time that I let someone else have it—I know it practically off by heart I read it so many times anyway."

"Wow . . . Thanks." Dora smiled, leaning into her Aunt. She missed her Aunts roll of the eye at the display of affection, only noticing the woman wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You're welcome." Bella said, getting up from her seat and holding her hand out for the girl, a mischievous grin on her features "Have you ever apparated before?" Dora bit her lip, shaking her head as she slowly got up, staring at her hand. "It's okay, you trust me. Don't you?" with a small nod Dora hesitantly took her hand, looking up to the dark witch before her with nothing but innocence in her young eyes. "Good."

Without a moments notice a strange sensation came over her. It was like all of her insides were being squeezed through a small tube, constricting her breathing, her movement, everything, she held on to her Aunt's hand as if her life depended on it. Then it was over. Her eyes were wide and she was sure her hair was white as she frantically looked around the new room she had landed in, instinctively pressing closer to her Aunt in fear of the unknown surroundings. The hexagon shaped room was lined with large glass tanks, an eerie green glow lighting up the space to reveal debris of abandoned rubbish and dirt which Dora hesitantly pushed away with the tip of her trainers.

"It's okay, Nymphadora." Bellatrix purred, squeezing the girls hand for a moment before she detangled the girl's fingers from her own. "There's nothing to fear here."

"W—Where are we?" Dora asked, scrunching her features up to remove the white from her hair.

"A zoo." Bella mused, going up to one of the glass tanks and motioning for the girl to come over. The elder witch pressed her hand to the glass, nodding to the large snake currently curled around a branch. "It's abandoned."

"But why are the snakes still here if it's abandoned?" Dora asked. "Who feeds them? Who looks after them?"

"The wretched Muggles abandoned the poor things when they left the place." Bella pouted, peering down at the young girl as she looked intently to the snake with her wide eyes. "They can get out of their small prisons now, the little ones hunt mice whilst the larger ones eat rats or any other small creature stupid enough to get in their way. They're very clever creatures; snakes. They look after themselves, they're ambitious, cunning, resourceful, smart in their ways and damned clever in getting exactly what they want with whatever means necessary."

"Wow . . ." Dora breathed, pressing her own hand up to the glass.

". . . I once knew a man who could speak to snakes." Bellatrix smirked as Nymphadora looked up at her with wide eyed awe.

"Really?" Dora breathed.

"Really." Bellatrix laughed before a sudden passion overtook her tone, her whole demeanour changing "A powerful man—the most powerful wizard I have ever known. He is power, passion, a true leader . . ."

Dora looked to her Aunt for a few more moments, this man sounded amazing. She found herself wishing she could talk to snakes, her Aunt soon huffed in amusement and looked back to the scaled creature seemingly looking up at its new visitors.

"Was he a Slytherin?" Dora asked. "I mean, Slytherin's mascot is a snake, so I assumed . . ."

"You assumed correctly." Bellatrix nodded "Only the greatest of witches and wizards are from Slytherin house."

"Wow . . ." Dora breathed again, chewing her lip for a moment as she looked to the floor "D—Do you think I could be a Slytherin? I mean, I know Dad was a Hufflepuff but Mum was a Slytherin, so there's that and I'm more like my mum than my dad. Though Dad says—"

"Dora," Bellatrix leant down to reach the girl's height, squeezing the girls shoulder gently in reassurance, feigned innocent encouragement on the woman's face "you would make the best Slytherin. You don't want to be a Hufflepuff, you definitely don't want to be a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw isn't as bad as those too—but really, Slytherin is the _only_ house you can be in." The little girl blushed slightly as she looked to her Aunt smiling down at her as she gave her a small wink. "I believe in you Dora, remember that." 


	5. Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your lovely comments so far! Three since I posted this chapter yesterday really is amazing. :D Please do keep letting me know what you think. As a thank you for your lovely comments I have loaded this chapter a lot faster than I originally intended. So please enjoy and please do again let me know what you think! 
> 
> The Purple Black

"Dora, come on love, we'll be late!" Ted Tonks called from the bottom of the stairs.

Andromeda sighed heavily beside him as she put on her gloves, staring at a photograph on the cabinet by the front door. It was when Nymphadora was nine years old, amongst a small pile of Christmas presents, her hair half green and half red as she laughed up at the camera. A sad smile came to Andromeda Tonks' lips as she caressed the edge of the frame. She jumped as Ted came and placed a hand on her shoulder from behind her before rolling her eyes as she reached up to take his hand in hers, bringing his fingers to her lips as she kissed his fingers gently.

"You look sad." Ted murmured, leaning forward and kissing the woman's cheek.

"Well, my only child is going off and leaving me for the first time." Andromeda turned to face the man, forcing a small smile "I'm allowed to be a little upset."

"She'll be fine, Dromeda." Ted said.

"Yes . . ." Andromeda agreed "I'm sure she will . . . She— . . . She doesn't talk to me like she used to. She used to tell me every little thing that was going on in her life, now . . . She just sits in her room with her music and—well I don't know what she's doing in there. I'm worried—I'm worried she's—. . ."

"She's not about to run away from home." Ted chuckled, drawing his wife into his arms as he kissed her hair. "She's just, growing up. It's what children do. I bet you didn't want to talk to your parents about every little thing as you got older."

"Right," Andromeda scoffed "I never talked to my parents about my own private matters. But we're not my parents." She shuddered at the thought, wrapping her arms around her husband as she rested her head on his shoulder "I don't want Dora to grow up, not if she doesn't talk to us anymore. I don't want her to turn into me—or . . ."

"Personally, if she turned out to be a carbon copy of you I'd be proud." Ted said, shaking his head as Andromeda went to speak again "She's not going to turn into your sisters. Personally, I think we share quite a few personality traits."

"You do." Andromeda sighed "But she is a _Black_ , I can see it in her."

"She's a Tonks, Dromeda." Ted shook his head.

"Ready!" Nymphadora yelled as she bounded down the stairs, tripping on the last step and hitting the floor. She got up as quickly as she fell down, a sheepish grin on her face as she pushed her bright pink hair out of her face. "I'm okay."

"I told you not to run down those stairs anymore." Andromeda bit her lip to stop the laugh of amusement at the girl's behaviour, holding her hand out for the girl as Ted summoned Dora's trunk and owl.

"Well, I didn't break anything, not a scratch on me." Dora shrugged as she took her mother's hand "I'm fine."

"The indestructible Nymphadora Tonks." Ted laughed. "Can we go now?"

"Yes." Andromeda nodded. "Let's."

With the blink of an eye, they were gone. Dora immediately let go of her mother's hand as her father appeared beside them, a grin split over her face as she looked around the bustling station. Children were everywhere, saying goodbye to their parents in front of the iconic steam train ready and raring to go to take Nymphadora Tonks for her first year of Hogwarts. Her first year away from home, away from her parents, learning magic with her own newly acquired wand. She couldn't wait. She turned to her parents, jumping at them both and pulling them close as she hugged them. She could guess the shocked look of her mother without seeing it, the same for the goofy grin of her father as he squeezed his wife and child tightly.

"I'll miss you, Dora." Ted laughed before he let the girl go, ruffling her hair.

"Dad!" She whined before grinning up at him "I'll miss you too."

"Yes, well I'll miss you too." Andromeda smiled, kissing the girls head "Stay safe—Stay out of trouble."

"Of course." Dora said before with one last quick hug she took her cases and got onto the train, the moment she found a spare carriage she put her owl next to her seat, her trunk on the rack before she looked to the window. She waved to her parents, watching them waving back at her until the train pulled out of the station and they were out of sight.

"Hello." A boy's voice sounded behind the girl, making her jump before she turned around to see the red headed boy staring at her. He had clothes on that seemed at least one size too large, a tatty case that seemed as if it had been passed down at least a few generations before the boy had the misfortune to own such a battered looking thing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't." Dora shook her head, going to sit next to her caged barn owl as the boy sat opposite her.

"I'm Charlie, by the way." The boy said "Charlie Weasley."

"Hi, Charlie." Dora smiled slightly. "I'm Nymphadora Tonks."

"Nymphadora?" Charlie said "That's an . . . unusual name."

"I don't like it to be honest." Dora said, shaking her head.

"Well, can I call you Tonks?" Charlie asked. "It's a bit easier to pronounce and I reckon it suits you."

"Sure." Dora said, laughing slightly. "Tonks it is."

"So Tonks," Charlie grinned "what house do you reckon you'll be in?"

"I don't know . . ." Dora sighed, she knew what house she wanted to be in, what house her Aunt had encouraged her to go to. But she was unsure if she wanted to share her plans with the boy or not. "What about you?"

"Well, all my family have been in Gryffindor." Charlie shrugged "So I reckon I'll go there too most likely."

"Really?" Dora asked, unable to help but wrinkle her nose slightly.

"What?" Charlie raised an eyebrow at the girl. "What's wrong with Gryffindor?"

"Well, my Au—" Dora stopped herself short before she carried on "Well my _friend_ , she says that Gryffindor's are a bit dumb, all bull headed, they have a hero complex—and that's just for starters."

"What does that even mean?" Charlie frowned, confused.

Dora shrugged. Truth be told she wasn't entirely sure what it meant either, she had heard her Aunt say a lot of things that she didn't always understand it. Though Aunt Bellatrix did explain herself most of the time, she still didn't always understand. She had soon learned to pretend to understand all that Bellatrix was saying and to just go along with it, she suspected her Aunt may know what she was doing but she didn't care. So long as her Aunt still kept talking to her like an adult and being her friend. "It basically means that you shouldn't want to be a Gryffindor."

"Well, ouch." Charlie said. "They're not bad you know, Gryffindor's. It's the Slytherin's you've gotta look out for."

"There's nothing wrong with Slytherin's." Dora glared, her bright pink hair tinging red.

"Wow . . ." Charlie motioned to the girl's hair "How did you?

"I'm a Metamorphmagus."

"A what?"

"A metamorphmagus."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I can do this." Dora smirked, screwing her features up as her hair changed to a long curly black, her eyes gaining a purple hue, her facial features sharpening slightly. She giggled as she saw the look of awe on Charlie's face.

"Wow . . ." Charlie breathed "That's amazing."

"Thanks." Dora shrugged before she looked down to her bags. If her Aunt was right—and her Aunt was always right—it wasn't wise to become friends with a potential Gryffindor.

"Do you wanna play a game of exploding snap?" Charlie asked with an innocent smile.

"No." Dora shook her head, reaching down into her bag for her favourite book. "I'm fine."

"Oh . . ." Charlie said "That book looks . . . old."

"It is." Dora said, opening the first page. There on the inside cover read 'Property of Bellatrix Lestrange, Slytherin' followed by 'Property of Nymphadora Tonks . . .' underneath. She ignored the looks of her fellow carriage mate, not wanting to talk to him anymore for fear he'd try and sway her from her determination to be in Slytherin and hate Gryffindor. He sure didn't seem that awful, but if her Aunt said that Gryffindor was bad then they must be. Right?

Nymphadora walked into the great hall full of nerves. Her hair was a bright pink, though as much as she tried to stop it going pure white the odd streak still slipped in. There were so many people around her, sitting at four tables in a sea of red, blue, yellow and most importantly green. She couldn't help but let her gaze linger on the table that contained the house she had already set her sights on. The Slytherin table seemed to be far more daunting than the rest, though perhaps that was just her imagination? She had talked with her mother days previously about the different houses, a conversation that didn't quite go as she had hoped . . .

_"_ _Mum?" Dora asked as she entered the living room, slipping into the seat on the sofa next to her mother as she sighed. She put down the latest pair of Dora's trousers that she had been given the duty of fixing after a fall. "Can I talk to you about something?"_

_Andromeda tilted her head as she looked to her daughter, smiling slightly as she reached out and moved the stray hair from her face to tuck behind her ear. She couldn't help but laugh slightly at her daughter's wrinkled nose of a reaction "Is this about school? It's okay to be nervous, Dora."_

_"_ _I'm not nervous." Dora said defiantly._

_"_ _Of course not." Andromeda replied, trying to keep the amusement from her features. "What did you want to talk about?"_

_"_ _Well . . . School—but not because I'm nervous about it."_

_"_ _Of course not."_

_"_ _Can you tell me more about the houses?" Dora said, staring at her hands in her lap "You were a Slytherin, weren't you?"_

_"_ _Yes . . ." Andromeda sighed "But that doesn't mean you will be, nor that you should want to be."_

_"_ _But Gryffindor's are brave—to a point of being stupid. Ravenclaw is just a bunch of smartasses—and I'm not_ that _smart. Hufflepuff—Well I suppose Dad was a Hufflepuff but . . . Slytherin's are like snakes; ambitious, cunning, resourceful, smart . . ."_

_"_ _And dangerous if you get too close . . ." Andromeda breathed, never expecting her daughter to come out with such things "Where did you hear that? Who taught you that."_

_"_ _No one." Dora shook her head quickly, looking away from her mother "I—I read it in a book, I think,_ Hogwarts: A History _, maybe."_

_"_ _Right . . ." Andromeda frowned, "Dora, Slytherin's can be very . . . prejudice. They mainly consist of purebloods and they don't take kindly to anyone who isn't one of them."_

_"_ _They hate Muggles and Muggle-borns." Dora nodded "But I'm not a muggle-born or a muggle. I'm half-blood and that's not that bad."_

_"_ _Not that bad?" Andromeda couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows in confusion at the girl, wondering where on earth she had gotten such ideas from as it was definitely not a book she had given her. She thought back to wonder if the girl could have got hold of any of her old diaries, though they were warded in so that was near enough impossible. "Dora . . ." Andromeda sighed as the little girl looked up at her, an innocent smile on her lips as she looked up to her with a tinge of purple in her eyes. "You can be in whatever house you want to be—I don't care, your father and I will love you all the same . . . do you want to be in Slytherin?"_

_"_ _. . . Yeah." Dora nodded, frowning as her mother winced slightly "Is that wrong?"_

_"_ _No, sweetheart." Andromeda sighed, pulling the girl into her arms as she hugged her close to herself. "Just be careful. If you are a Slytherin it may not be easy."_

_"_ _But I'm powerful," Dora shrugged "I have my morphing. So it won't be too bad, they like purebloods because of power, right?"_

_"_ _Right . . ." Andromeda breathed, staring ahead as she continued to hug her child. "But—Just be careful. Please."_

_"_ _I will, mum." Dora sighed, leaning up and kissing her cheek. "Love you."_

_"_ _Love you too . . ." Andromeda replied, frowning after her daughter as she got up and skipping from the room._

Nymphadora clung to the inside pockets of her robes, as she was sure her name would come up soon. She knew her mother clearly had reservations about her choice of house but she was determined. Aunt Bella said it was the only house she could be in. Aunt Bella was smart and she was a pureblood Slytherin, she liked her, why wouldn't the rest of the Slytherin's?

"Tonks, Nymphadora." Professor McGonagall called out, looking over to the child.

She took a deep breath as she walked towards the small wooden stall placed facing the entire student body. Merlin, why did it have to be so nerve wracking? She sat carefully on the chair, determined not to trip or fall and make a fool of herself already. Before she knew it the old sorting hat was placed on her head, the brim coming down to cover her eyes as she screwed them shut.

_Ah,_ an old voice sounded in her head _Tonks, eh?_

Dora took a deep breath, thinking hard in her mind _Slytherin, please, Slytherin. Just put me in Slytherin._

_Slytherin? . . . Yes, I can see the ambition, the cleverness and determination . . . but I also see the kindness, loyalty, dedication . . . all those traits make me more inclined to put you in Hufflepuff._

"No." Dora couldn't help but whisper out loud, biting her lip as she thought hard again _Please, not Hufflepuff. Slytherin, it has to be Slytherin. I want to be in Slytherin._

_Are you sure that is what you want? Or merely what you_ think _you want?_

_Please._ Dora bit her lip so hard she swore if she didn't stop she would make it bleed _Slytherin, I do want to be in Slytherin. I have to be in Slytherin._

_Fine, if you feel that is best . . ._ the voice paused for a moment before suddenly the loud yell reverberated around the Great Hall "Slytherin!"

Nymphadora couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the hat was pulled off of her head. She jumped off the seat, walking over to the table of her new classmates. Though they did cheer as they had for the other students Dora couldn't help but notice the cheer was slightly less for her, some of the children giving her sideway glances of distaste. She took a deep breath, looking down the table back to the sorting as she tried to ignore the stares. Her mother was right; this wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

"Ha!" Bellatrix couldn't help the bark of laughter she let out as she read the newest letter from her niece. She smirked as her husband jumped in his chair, looking at her with a frown.

"What?" Rodolphus asked, setting the morning's paper down. "That's a letter from the girl, isn't it? What has a half-blood eleven-year-old got to say that's so funny?"

Bellatrix sighed, getting out of her seat as she went to her husband with a smirk on her lips. She sat on his lap, letting him wrap an arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "She's not just a half-blood, Rod." Bellatrix purred "She has power, a power that our Lord can use."

"Yes yes," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, taking the letter from his wife's hands as he scanned the parchment "and a Slytherin . . ."

"Yes." Bellatrix giggled "It seems someone listens to what _Auntie Bella_ tells her to do."

"It doesn't seem like she's having much fun." Rodolphus chuckled.

"No," Bella shrugged "but it's her first night, she'll learn to fit in. I'm sure she can make some friends if she tries hard enough . . . and if not . . . well, it is easier if I am her only friend. She listens to me well enough at the moment, perhaps being isolated from her peers works in my favour."

"You are a devious little minx, Bellatrix Lestrange." Rodolphus smirked, leaning down and pressing his lips to the woman's own.

"Mmm." Bellatrix mumbled against him "You forgot smart, powerful, manipulative, sexy—" Bella shrieked in amusement as the man suddenly pulled her closer to himself, kissing her neck.

"I love it when you're planning something; that evil glint you get in your eyes."

Bellatrix smirked, taking his chin in her hand as she made him look up to her, looking deeply into his eyes before she kissed him passionately. She believed she deserved a little celebration over what was seemingly going to be such a roaring success. Nymphadora Tonks would certainly be a perfect servant for The Dark Lord by the time he returned.        


	6. Lessons

Nymphadora Tonks stared out of the window of the Hogwarts express, the old scarlet steam train slowly chugging its way along the English countryside as she knew she would soon be back at platform 9 ¾. She had avoided going home for her first Christmas at Hogwarts, convinced that she would be better off staying and avoiding her parents, something her Aunt wholeheartedly agreed with. So after not seeing her parents since that September morning so long ago it was fair to say that Nymphadora Tonks was nervous. Her mother had warned her of the prejudice of Slytherin, that it was full of Pureblood children who wouldn't make life easy for her.

She couldn't deny that her mother was right. She had spent the entirety of her first year with sniggers behind her back, the girl that no-one really wanted to be paired with in class, she had become a girl to be avoided. It was exactly what had left her to be sitting alone in a carriage at the end of the year, her caged owl her only companion as she clutched the last letter from her Aunt in her hand. Aunt Bella had promised to visit her in the summer, to see how she was doing and give her a present. She loved seeing her Aunt, not only as she had become so close with her but also because she always seemed to bring her a present of some sort of late. Not that the presents mattered.

As the train finally came to a grinding halt Nymphadora sighed, screwing up her features to make her black hair turn a deep purple (she couldn't quite muster up the strength of a vivid pink). Her mother was already visible from the window, looking around the train from where she stood in search of her daughter. Dora couldn't help but smile slightly, she had missed her mum even if she was dreading talking to her.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda couldn't help but call as she saw her daughter, frowning as the girls face blushed a vivid red.

"Don't call me Nymphadora." Dora said as she went up and accepted the woman's request for a hug.

"Why not?" Andromeda asked, "That's your name."

"Can we go please?" Dora avoided the question, smiling innocently up at the woman until she nodded.

As the familiar sense of side along apparation took over her Dora squeezed her eyes shut, she waited a few moments when she knew she was home to slowly let go of her mother. Andromeda was smiling down at her, reaching out and stroking her hair out of her face.

"You still hate apparating, don't you?" Andromeda said with a hint of amusement.

"No." Dora lied, watching her mother put her owl and trunk down by the door before flicking her wand to send them seamlessly up to the girl's room.

"Right." Andromeda nodded "Of course. Do you want a sandwich?" Dora nodded, immediately following her into the kitchen, she pulled out the nearest chair and slumped down into it as her mother turned to make her a sandwich. "Sit up, Dora." Andromeda spoke without even turning her back "Don't roll your eyes are me either." Dora begrudgingly sat up straight, perhaps her mother knew her a little too well. "So!" Andromeda turned back to her daughter, smiling as she sat down opposite her and slid her food across the table "How was school? You've barely written to your father and I all year."

"It was good." Dora said, beginning to eat the food in front of her.

"Good?" Andromeda couldn't help but laugh slightly "Just good?"

"It was great." Dora smiled "Classes are fun—I'm top of the class for transfiguration."

"Of course you are." Andromeda said "Transfiguration is a natural talent of yours, it's only expected that your talents would extend to more than just your morphing skills. What about the other classes? Really Dora, you have barely told me anything all year, amuse me."

"I wrote." Dora frowned.

"Barely—I'm not telling you off." Andromeda shook her head "Merlin no, I understand. Your first time away from home, it's exciting and new and you don't want to be seen writing to your parents every day of the week."

"Yeah . . ." Dora agreed, thinking about how she had written back and forth with her Aunt more times than she could count in the past year.

" _So_ ," Andromeda said "How are the rest of the lessons? All okay? Do you enjoy them?"

"Flying lessons are cool, umm, I might try and join the team next year—but I don't know." Dora shrugged. "The rest of the lessons are fun too I suppose—I suppose potions is probably my least favourite. Though that's partly because of my clumsiness problem. Professor Snape doesn't seem to like that very much."

"Understandable." Andromeda couldn't help but smirk slightly, she herself had had to repair many objects around her home over the years due to her daughter's chronic clumsiness, she had to admit it had made her very good at many household charms along with repairs. "Your father always loved flying. He played Quidditch," Andromeda commented "Hufflepuff team, of course, he was quite good as far as I can remember . . . How are you finding Slytherin?" Andromeda tilted her head slightly as she looked at the girl, not missing the slight hesitation nor the nervous look as she tried to come up with a reply "It's not easy, is it? I remember when I was at school, being in Slytherin . . ."

"Tell me about it." Dora sat up slightly, she rarely heard her mother talk about her life before she met her father and not even Aunt Bella said much about her mother. All thought of the half of her sandwich that remained in front of her forgotten.

Dromeda frowned for a moment in thought before she sighed deeply. "Well, it was a long time ago . . ."

"You're not _that_ old." Dora commented, causing her mother to laugh.

"Thank you . . . Well, most of Slytherin have a sense of being . . . _superior_ , better than the rest of the school. Most simply because of their blood or for the pure reason of being a Slytherin. There were . . . There were a few half-bloods in Slytherin when I went, not many, but a fair amount for the house. They always seemed to have to work twice as hard to earn the respect of their peers within the house."

"Were you friends with any of them?" Dora asked.

"I—" Andromeda bit her lip, she never wanted her daughter to know how prejudice she once was. "No . . . I only had two people I would have considered good friends in that house." Andromeda shook her head as her daughter went to interrupt "Listen, Dora, Slytherin's respect power. You have power . . . just . . . don't show off—and try not to make a fool of yourself."

Dora couldn't help but smirk at that "I never make a fool of myself."

"Mmm." Andromeda held back a laugh at that comment, as much as she loved her daughter she did have a habit of doing just that. "Come on, go unpack. Your father will be home soon, I'm sure he'll give you a game of exploding snap if you ask him nicely."

"Okay." Dora smiled, jumping out of her seat. She eyed her half eaten sandwich, quickly grabbing it and running off to finish eating in her room.

"Be careful, Dora!" Andromeda called out, wincing as she heard the all too familiar thump of Dora running into the book case in the hallway. It had certainly been quieter with Nymphadora at school, but Andromeda Tonks was grateful to have her only child back under her roof for the summer.

* * *

It was the middle of the summer and possibly the hottest Nymphadora Tonks could ever remember England being. Luckily her mother was handy enough with household spells to put cooling charms on the most of the house so she didn't simply die from the heat (in her opinion it was very real possibility), though today she had a reason to venture out in the sun. She peered out of the kitchen window in to the back garden, grinning to herself as she realised her mother had fallen asleep in the afternoon sun with a book on her lap. Her father wasn't due home for at least a few more hours, now was her opportunity. Before she knew it Nymphadora Tonks was near enough skipping down the street, running through the local park and skidding to a half as she got to the shelter of the trees. She panted for breath, pushing her bright pink hair out of her face before she slowly walked through the trees. She had already been walking for a few minutes when she heard the familiar voice she was looking for.

"Hello Dora." Bellatrix Lestrange was leant against one of the trees behind her, she was sure she had already checked that spot. She had her usual smirk set upon her features as she regarded her young niece. "Long time no see."

"Aunt Bella!" Dora grinned, running up to the woman and hugging her fiercely.

Bellatrix paused for a moment before she gave her a quick hug in return before she placed a hand on her shoulder and held her away from her. "Miss me?"

" _Of course_." Dora laughed.

"Good." Bellatrix gave the girl a wink before she nodded towards an old fallen tree "So," Bella sighed as she sat down, waiting for Dora to sit next to her before she continued "how are you?"

"Good." Dora forced a smile "I'll be back at school soon . . ."

"Which doesn't sound like something you're excited for." Bellatrix said. "Still having problems with the other children?"

Dora took a deep breath, staring down at her hands as she wrung them in her lap "I spent the last two days at school trying to find all my things. Some of the other girls thought it would be funny to hide them—I found the book you gave me thrown right to the base of the Whomping Willow. The thing tried to attack me when I ran for it—I was lucky I got it in one piece. I don't know what to do any more, Aunt Bella. I tried gaining their respect like you told me, they know I have my morphing powers and they certainly don't care about that as far as I can see. I—I just . . ." Dora sniffed, blinking back tears "I don't know."

Bellatrix hesitated for a moment, grateful that the girl could not see her rolling her eyes as she stared into her lap. She forced herself to put on a sympathetic tone, reaching around the girl and pulling her into her in a half embrace. "Come now, Dora. There are other ways."

"Like what?" Dora murmured, leaning into her Aunt as she hugged her. "Maybe Mum was right—I shouldn't have gone into Slytherin."

"No." Bellatrix said suddenly, standing up to face the girl now frowning at her "You are strong and powerful and I will not let you think you are anything _but_ a Slytherin." The girl frowned up at her Aunt, biting her lip as she tried not to seem sad anymore. "Get up."

"W—Why?" Dora asked.

"Because I said so." Bellatrix spoke impatiently as she drew her wand. "You brought your wand like I asked you to?"

"Yes . . ." Dora hesitantly reached into her bag "but we're not aloud—"

"You'll be fine with me." Bellatrix smirked "If I didn't know wards to disguise magic use I would have been in trouble with the ministry a very long time ago. Now get up."

Nymphadora Tonks did what her Aunt said, still nervous as she eyed the woman's wand, though she couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of breaking the rules and seemingly getting away with it. "What are we going to do?"

"I am going to teach you how to duel—the basics of course." Bellatrix shrugged "The very basics. But you need to learn and you need to learn fast."

"B—But the girls don't try and _duel_ me." Dora spoke with wide eyes.

"Of course not." Bellatrix laughed "But you need to learn how to put them in their place, if you can't convince them to respect you the easy way you're going to do it the hard way—well, hard for them."

"You really think I can learn to duel? I'm only twelve." Dora bit her lip, though she held her wand firmly.

Bellatrix shrugged "Teach them young. Besides, I could duel on a basic level at your age—I see no reason why you shouldn't." Bella smirked "Duelling is an important life lesson, Nymphadora. It can come very much in handy in the future."

"In the future?" Dora asked. "What, like if I want to be an Auror?"

"No." Bellatrix wrinkled her features in distaste. "You do not want to be an Auror, child. You want to be _better_ than the Aurors, able to outwit them and out duel them at a drop of a hat if needs be."

"W—Why would I need to duel an Auror?" Dora asked.

"It was an example." Bella said quickly.

She would let the child know all about Death Eaters, The Dark Lord and how she could be the most perfect faithful servant one day. One step at a time she would inform her of her world, the adventure and beautiful work they could do together. But not yet. Nymphadora Tonks was far too young and Bellatrix Lestrange had so much more work to do with her before she slowly introduced that part of her plan. For now, though, Nymphadora Tonks was the perfect moldable piece of clay. Eager to take in all that her Aunt told her, ready to be taught anything the woman wanted to, easy to manipulate to her way of seeing whilst all the while the girl simply thought she had a 'best friend' of sorts in her Aunt. Bellatrix had already worked too hard for three years now to simply rush into things. No, this was a slow game and Bella had known that from the start, but from what she could tell her plan was going perfectly so far.

So much was confirmed to her when merely two weeks after returning to Hogwarts Rodolphus brought a letter her had taken from a Hogwarts owl for her. She woke up that morning to read news that not only had Nymphadora used her new found skills to win a duel and put a 'cow bag' in her place, she had seemingly gained some recognition from her fellow dorm mates. The letter declaring the young girl's achievements, thankfulness and love for her Aunt was more than enough to prove to Bellatrix that she was doing well in her self assigned mission. She would indeed make her master proud when he rose again to find such a talented and well moulded new servant to add to the ranks. She would make him proud of her. She would prove she remained loyal regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this latest update, please do leave a review if you have a minute and let me know what you think!
> 
> The Purple Black


	7. Lestrange Manor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your comments, kudos etc so far! Each and every one brings a smile to my face. 
> 
> Please enjoy this latest chapter! 
> 
> The Purple Black

Bellatrix Lestrange arrived in the main entry hall of Lestrange Manor, sighing in pleasure as the warmth of the manor greeted her whilst she took off her cloak. She threw it at the house elf that immediately appeared to greet her, barely acknowledging the creatures existence as she looked to the mirror to get the remaining snow off of her dark locks. She had just spent the last few hours in Hogsmeade, having met with her now Third Year niece she had decided it was best to go to a secluded part of the village outside of any watching eyes rather than sit in the warmth of the Hogs Head like she had wanted to. Suddenly the witches attention was diverted, she could hear voices in the main sitting room. The witch frowned as she soon went to discover who her husband was attending to. As she entered the room all conversation stopped as Bellatrix soon felt an anger inside of her like no other.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Bellatrix spat.

The man sat opposite her husband stood from his seat, he was tall and strapping with a thin black moustache, a forced smile upon his lips as he looked to the witch. "Long time no see, Bellatrix?"

"Long time no see?" Bellatrix looked disgusted at the man. " _Long time no see, Macnair_?"

"Bellatrix." Rodolphus spoke warningly.

"I should be going." Macnair said to Rodolphus, though his gaze never left Bellatrix. "I'll come back soon."

"You will not!" Bellatrix yelled. "I do not want you anywhere near this manor, you traitorous—"

"Traitorous?" Macnair laughed "Really Bella, what makes me anymore traitorous than yourself?"

" _You_ —"

"Well you escaped persecution, you didn't announce your loyalty—"

"Macnair." Rodolphus spoke firmly, keeping his eyes firmly trained on Bellatrix as he merely hoped that she kept her wand in its holster.

"But I didn't _denounce_ him! Not like you did!" Bellatrix hissed.

"Perhaps, but you didn't claim to be his either." Macnair smirked. "Does it really matter now, Bellatrix? He is g—"

"Hold your tongue, Macnair." Rodolphus snapped, walking over to his wife and taking her hand in his own. It was a gesture that could be misconceived as loving, though in truth he simply did it so that his wife no longer had her wand hand free.

"I—"

"Leave." Bellatrix hissed at him, clenching her teeth as she forced herself not to pull away from her husband. The man looked at the couple, hesitating for a small moment before with a slight nod he left the room. His steps could be heard echoing down the corridor, neither witch or wizard moved until they heard the echo of the large front door shut behind him. "What was he doing here?" Bellatrix whispered in her fury.

"He came to see me, Bella." Rodolphus sighed, letting go of the witches hand as he walked over to his liquor cabinet.

"Why?" Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the man.

"He simply wanted to see me, nothing more." Rodolphus said as he took a sip of firewhiskey. "How is Nymphadora?" Bellatrix couldn't help but scoff, it was clear that Rodolphus was trying to change the subject as he definitely did not care for the welfare of Miss Nymphadora Tonks.

"Fine . . ." Bellatrix said as she sat down "I invited her to stay for Christmas."

"You _what?_ " Rodolphus looked to her as if she had just been told he had to snog a troll.

"I invited Nymphadora to stay for Christmas." Bellatrix repeated. "She never goes home for the holidays and I've never had her for more than a few hours, I thought it could be a perfect opportunity."

"A _perfect opportunity_?" Rodolphus repeated, dumfounded.

"Yes." Bellatrix nodded.

Rodolphus paused for a moment, struggling to think of anything to say to his wife "What about her parents? I can hardly believe this is something you have gotten permission to do."

"They think she's staying at Hogwarts for Christmas." Bellatrix shrugged with a small smirk. "Dora's going to walk out of the platform and I'm going to meet her on the other side, no-one will see me there—well, no-one that matters."

"You're going to meet her on the Muggle side of the platform?" Rodolphus wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Yes, it is necessary." Bellatrix stood, walking over to her husband and taking the drink from his hand. She watched him carefully as she drained the last dregs from the cup. "Trust me, Rodolphus. We won't leave the manor, it's not like anyone we don't want to see her is going to. This is the perfect opportunity to ensure she is on our side, prepare her for the Dark Lords return."

"So I have to put up with a teenage half-blood in my own home? Brilliant." Rodolphus mumbled.

"It will be worth it." Bellatrix purred, kissing the mans cheek as he wrapped an arm around her waist "I promise."

* * *

It was a reasonable day in central London as hoards of muggles wandered the streets going about their day to day business. They sped in and out of Kings Cross station, determined in the robotic fast paced way that only London commuters seem to have to hurry to the Underground, intent on reaching their homes after a long days work or coming out in lesser hoards to enjoy an evening in the nightlife of London. If it were any other place in the country few more may have gave disapproving or curious looks to the woman standing out of the way to the side of the main entrance of the station. Though most of her wardrobe contained elements of wizarding finery and a clear statement of wealth, along with the overall fashion, that seemed absurd to most muggles should they see it Bellatrix Lestrange had blended in as much as she could in her long black sleeved cloak. It was something she wore when being discreet was a necessity on some of her Death Eater escapades around populations of Muggles. Though truth be told, this was London and as any Londoner could tell you a man could possibly walk the streets in a tutu and tiara and the natives would barely bat an eye at them.

Nevertheless, Bellatrix would gladly see herself invisible, better yet not there at all, as she held back her look of intense disgust at the muggles. She could deal with Muggles, oh she had many a way of dealing with muggles, though none of her ways of dealing with them were suitable at all lest she want to get herself thrown into Azkaban or at the very least miss her meeting with Dora.

"S'cuse me love?" a man approached Bellatrix, jumping slightly as he saw what she could only assume to be her expression of shocked disgust that such scum would dare to speak to her. "Sorry, love. Don't mean to disturb yah thoughts but don't s'pose you know where the Shaw is do yah?"

Bellatrix blinked at the man a few times, unsure if she could speak to him without sorely offending him and being unable to use some of her favourite curses—or any for that matter—she struggled to think of what to say. "E— . . . Excuse me?"

"The Shaw?" The man repeated as if she was deaf "The theatre? I'm s'posed to be meeting a bird there—blind date—but I can't even find the bloody place. Know it's 'round 'ere somewhere though."

"I—" It was just as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her feelings of hatred and disgust that she heard the girl she had been waiting for, snapping her eyes open to look.

"Aunt Bella!" Dora called out, grinning broadly as she ran over to her Aunt.

"Dora." Bellatrix forced a smile through the bile in her throat. She couldn't help but be slightly amused at the sight of the girl despite her current feelings. Nymphadora Tonks, the nearing fourteen-year-old most certainly had made a better attempt to blend in with the muggles than she had, wearing a pair of stone washed blue denim jeans, a pair of trainers that had certainly once been pure white and a cream fluffy jumper with a small backpack slung over one shoulder. Though Bellatrix couldn't help but wonder if it was normal for muggle girls of her age to have two plats of bright pink hair.

"Wotcher." Dora grinned, then turned to the man still staring at her Aunt. "Who are you?"

"Billy." The man said automatically, staring at Bellatrix as if concerned for her mental health for a few moments before he shook his head and looked to the girl and grinning at her. "Sorry—Just askin' for directions love. Don't s'pose you know where The Shaw Theatre is, do yah? Your Aunt don't seem to."

"Oh!" Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly, not paying much attention to the hand Bellatrix had put on her arm to attempt to tug her away. "Yes! It's that way!" Dora pointed excitedly "Cross the road, just past The British Library—Dad took me there once."

"Thanks." The man called, though Bellatrix had already tugged Dora away from the man, making her way straight across the road and narrowly avoiding getting missed by a car as she swore under her breath.

"You _really_ don't like Muggles, do you Aunt Bella?" Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly, though as she looked up at her Aunt she couldn't help but bit her lip to hold back anymore laughter at her expense.

"They're filth, I've told you this Nymphadora and you would do well to remember it." Bellatrix said automatically. "They are barbaric, disgusting simpletons."

Dora merely nodded, she had heard this lecture from her Aunt before and she knew better than to question it. In her opinion some of the things her Aunt had told her had begun to make perfect sense to her. It was true that she did have muggle relatives, though she had only really met her grandparents and her mother did seem extremely wary even around them. If her own mother acted the way she did around people who were supposed to be family then there must be something wrong with them, as Bellatrix had clearly pointed out to her.

"Come on." Bellatrix said, pulling the girl down a deserted street and quickly concealing themselves should any muggle wonder by. "Let's get you home and out of those muggle clothes—and I believe I need a long soak."

"Okay." Dora couldn't wipe the grin off of her face, she had never seen her Aunt's home, let alone stayed there and as Bellatrix gripped onto her arm tightly and disaparated with her in tow she barely cared about the horrible squeezing sensation of apparation. The moment they arrived the girl looked up eagerly to see where they were landed, it was then with a laugh of amusement from her Aunt her jaw dropped. "Wow." She had never seen a home so large, especially when she considered that she knew her Aunt only lived with her husband. The building before her was a grand manor, one that she couldn't even figure out how many people it could potentially house.

"Welcome to Lestrange Manor, Dora." Bellatrix smirked, waving her hand carelessly as the iron wrought gates swung open to admit them.

The girl couldn't help but look in wide eyed awe at the building as they walked up the pathway, she was sure the front garden alone could fit her entire home and gardens in, the closer she got the more impressive the building seemed and the inside even more so. She was used to seeing such grand interiors in Hogwarts, but never could she of guessed that people actually lived in homes like this—let alone her own Aunt. The girl jumped slightly as a house elf appeared in front of them, bowing its head before it stood and immediately caught Bellatrix's cloak as she threw it at her.

"Dinner will be ready in one hour, Mistress." The House Elf squeaked before with a nod from Bellatrix it disappeared again.

Dora had never seen a House Elf, though she knew only wealthy families tended to own them. The girl barely had a chance to take her surroundings in much more, distracted by a portrait of the woman currently stood beside her as she was beckoned towards the staircase. She hurried to follow her Aunt, unable to help herself as she guided her hand along the intricately carved bannister.

"You will be staying in the guest room closest to mine and Rodolphus' room." Bellatrix said as she strode ahead of the girl "It's not the largest guest room we have, though I thought you would prefer to be closer to myself—the largest is on the other side of the manor, I don't tend to usually want guests so close to my own private quarters."

"Okay." Dora said, undeniably overwhelmed by the grandeur of her Aunts home as she struggled to think of anything better to say as they walked the seemingly never ending hallways to her room.

"Your Uncle Rodolphus will be joining us for dinner, no doubt he's probably locked away in his study at the moment." Bellatrix spoke casually, pretending to be naïve of Dora's wonderment of her manor. "He's . . . interested to meet you."

"Really?" Dora asked, she had heard mention of her Uncle Rodolphus a few times but never heard a great deal about him. "He is?"

" _Of course_ he is." Bellatrix laughed. "You're a very special young woman, Nymphadora. Though we do have to get you out of those clothes—I believe Rod may have a heart attack if he saw you dressed like that here."

Nymphadora went to speak though they had reached her room, she quickly followed her Aunt through the door. If this room was not the largest guest room then she couldn't imagine how big that must be, she could easily fit her own bedroom at home in this room at least three times over. She barely noticed as her Aunt took her bag from her and placed it on the four poster bed.

"You have your own en-suite of course, though the main bathroom is just across the hall, second door to your right." Bellatrix said as she began to take the things from Dora's bag, placing the girl's wand on her bed before wrinkling her nose at the muggle clothes Dora had packed for her return journey to Hogwarts at the end of the holidays.

"I—" Dora swallowed hard, determined not to make herself look like an idiot. "Aunt Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"You said I've got to get changed—but you only told me to bring that one outfit apart from what I'm wearing." Dora couldn't help but grin slightly as she thought "Are we going shopping?"

"No, silly." Bellatrix laughed slightly, walking over to the large solid dark oak wardrobe "Clothes shopping is terribly boring and I wouldn't put you through it—I hate it enough myself. I've already been for you." Dora followed her Aunt, amazed for the what seemed like the hundredth time that night as her Aunt riffled through the many fine dresses that already hung inside of it. "This will do for tonight." Bellatrix declared as she pulled a fine emerald green corseted dress, the likes of which Nymphadora Tonks had certainly never worn. "Though I'm not sure bright pink would go well with it." Bellatrix smirked.

"It's lovely." Dora said, immediately changing her hair to a shade to match her Aunts.

"Of course it is." Bellatrix said, laying it on the bed. "There's shoes in the bottom of the wardrobe. I'm going to find my husband." Bella sighed, winking at Dora as she walked to the door "I'll be back to get you for dinner—Oh and Dora?" Bellatrix stopped to look at the girl before she went to leave the room.

"Yes, Aunt Bella?" Dora said, tearing her gaze away from the dress to look at her Aunt, a look of seriousness replacing the amused glint in her Aunts eyes.

"Do not leave this room without my say so, do you understand?" Bellatrix said, smirking once the girl nodded obediently. "Good." With that Bellatrix left the child to change, her smirk still split across her features as she went in search of her husband. If she could impress her young niece with such simple things as her Lestrange Manor and clothes she was sure to find the rest of her plans fall easily in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed that, please do leave me a comment to let me know what you think if you have a minute :) 
> 
> The Purple Black


	8. Christmas Revelations

"Ouch!" Nymphadora cried out as she stubbed her toe on the frame of the bed, wincing as she pulled herself to a standing position again.

Bellatrix had left Nymphadora barely half an hour ago and since then Nymphadora had managed to put her things away, undress out of her muggle clothes, change her hair to a silver tone to complement the outfit her Aunt had provided her—even managed to put on the shoes with a small heel she had found in the bottom of the wardrobe—and slip the dress her Aunt had left out for her over her head. There was only one problem that she faced now; the corset. Dora had not ever worn such a thing in her entire life. Though her mother wore them on a day to day basis, and had tried to convince her once or twice to try to wear one, she had not once actually given in to her mother and point blank refused to wear them. Though this was different, she knew that the clothes she was wearing were undoubtedly 'muggle' and her Aunt entire disapproved of them, she was also sure her Uncle—who she had not yet met in her life—would have the same stance. She was adamant she had to do what her Aunt told her, to please her. Though she couldn't help but think, as she righted herself and tried to figure out a way to straighten the thing and tighten it at the same time, that she had really wished she'd brought some other clothes with her despite her Aunts instructions.

"Having trouble, are we?" Nymphadora almost fell flat on the floor as she quickly turned to face her Aunt, the woman now smirking in amusement from the doorway. Bellatrix had a habit of being able to sneak up on Dora without her knowing, something she found both impressive and slightly unsettling.

Her face turned pink in embarrassment as she looked down at her dress before smiling awkwardly at her Aunt before her "Uh—No . . . It's fine, I just—" Dora tugged the corset one last time to no avail before she grinned sheepishly at her Aunt "Yes, I'm 'having trouble'."

Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh slightly as she shut the door behind her, walking over to her niece. "I remember the first time I wore a corset." Bellatrix mused as she placed her left hand on the girl's hip to turn her to face the ornate floor length mirror in the room before she straightened the corset on her niece. "Almost cursed the thing across the room until my mother came in and forced me into it. Straighten up." The moment Dora complied and stood straight Bella tapped her wand on the corsets laces and the girl felt herself fall back into her Aunt with a gasp at the sudden tightness around her middle.

"That's tight." Dora said, lost for any other words.

"It's supposed to be, but you'll get used to it. You're nearly fifteen, practically a woman. You should get used to such uncomfortable dresses." Bellatrix rolled her eyes before she patted the girls shoulder and turned her to face her again. "Shall we go down? Rodolphus is already in the dining room, I believe."

"Right." Dora nodded. As she left the room she was suddenly made very aware of how the corset was affecting her ability to walk, her usual slouch and awkward steps nearly eradicated as the corset forced her to stand 'properly'. Perhaps this was why her mother had been trying to get her into a corset . . . Dora grunted as she collided with her Aunts back as she stopped outside the dining room. The older woman turned to the girl, raising an eyebrow at her as she attempted to disguise her annoyance at the girl's clumsiness.

"S—Sorry." Dora mumbled.

"It's . . . fine." Bella sighed before she forced a smile upon her blood red lips. "Ready?"

_No . . ._ the girl couldn't help but think, though dared not to say. She had barely heard much about her Uncle Rodolphus, so she barely knew what to expect him to be like—though she was sure he wouldn't be as nice as her Aunt somehow.

"He's harmless." Bellatrix winked knowingly before she turned and opened the doors to the dining room. "Roddy!" Bellatrix exclaimed as she entered the room. Her husband was sat in the middle of a long solid wood table that could fit ten people at the least, the thickset man looking up to his wife as she entered the room with a look of retained irritation.

"Don't call me Roddy, Bella." He said in a dulcet tone.

Bellatrix supressed a giggle as she bit her lip. She knew that her husband didn't usually mind being called such names, though she was sure he would be mortified if his little half-blooded niece started calling him such. "Sorry," Bella sighed sarcastically as she walked over to the chair opposite him, drumming her fingers on the high back " _Rodolphus_." She looked into the man's eyes, she needn't read his mind to know that he was set in his opinion that he was not going to enjoy Nymphadora Tonks' visit to Lestrange manor, nor was he particularly going to enjoy meeting her in the first place. Bellatrix, however, was convinced by the end of Nymphadora's visit he would be just as determined as herself to have the girl join their cause. "Dora?" Bellatrix tilted her head as she looked to her niece, the young girl had clearly forgotten how to follow her like the usefully trained puppy she had become when she laid eyes on her Uncle. She feigned a warm smile at the girl as she pulled out the chair beside her own "Come sit here, pet."

"Okay. . ." The girl murmured, walking up to her Aunt as she forced herself not to stare at the intimidating looking man opposite her. She was grateful as she felt her Aunt's reassuring hand on her shoulder as the both sat at their places at the table.

"This is Nymphadora, Rodolphus." Bellatrix gave a sideway glance to her husband, the man not missing the mischievous glint in her eyes the woman always had when she was carrying out a plan.

"Nymphadora?" Rodolphus asked, "That's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it?"

"I don't really like it." Dora blurted out "The kids at school call me Tonks—started off as an insult I think but it kinda stuck once so many people stopped hating me and it's better than Nymphadora I suppose." The girl instantly cursed her nervous habit to let her mouth run in front of her mind as she saw the man wrinkle his nose in distaste, knowing she had reminded him of her muggleborn father—something she knew Bellatrix didn't like so was sure he wouldn't either and he surely didn't seem the type to be so nice about it to her. "B—But my mum calls me Dora." The girl added, purposely leaving out the fact that it was her father mainly that called her that, her mother stupidly proud of the ridiculous name she had given her.

"Dora?" Rodolphus said after a few moments of awkward silence. The girl watched the man look to his wife, though when she turned her own gaze to her she quickly saw whatever look he was giving him turn into a polite smile "Well, that's a . . . nice name."

"Thanks." Dora said, unsure of what else to say. She was grateful as with a snap of her Aunt's fingers the evening's meal appeared in front of the trio, quickly picking up her knife and fork and cutting into one of the roast potatoes on her plate to occupy herself.

"So . . ." Rodolphus said with a sigh after at least a few minutes silence, Dora had missed the pointed look Bellatrix gave her husband "Bellatrix tells me you can morph, Nymphadora."

"Oh!" Dora nodded, quickly swallowing a mouth full of carrots to look to the man. "Yeah, I'm a metamorphmagus."

"Interesting ..."

"Why don't you show him, Dora?" Bellatrix prompted.

"Uh—Okay." Putting her knife and fork back down on the table. She screwed up her facial features for a moment before she looked back to her uncle, her long silver hair now a short bright pink bob, her eyes a pale blue.

"Impressive." The man breathed "is that all you can do though, change colours and the length of your hair?"

"No." Dora replied, "I can morph into entirely different people, change my height, my size, anything really."

"Really?" Rodolphus asked, seemingly intrigued now, the thought that the man was interested in her relaxed Nymphadora slightly as to her it made him seem slightly less intimidating.

"Yeah," Dora nodded enthusiastically, spearing her fork in the last of her dinner "I can change into an entirely different person if I want to."

"Dora was only telling me last week how she turned into Professor Snape in order to amuse her class mates." Bella chimed, sipping at her glass of wine.

"It was worth the detention." Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly at the memory of Snape coming into his potions classroom only to see the spitting image of himself instructing her class mates of the world's deadliest potion in Snape's opinion; shampoo.

"Professor Snape?" Rodolphus asked. "Who would want to look like Snape?"

"It was fun." Dora shrugged with a smirk.

"Show him, Dora." Bella encouraged, turning in her chair to face the girl. "Though perhaps not Snape, I don't want to think of his greasy, snivelling self in my Manor."

"I—" Dora hesitated for a moment before she nodded. She put her knife and fork down on her empty plate, taking a deep breath before she screwed up her face on concentrated. The familiar giggle of amusement to her left let her know that she had succeeded and when she opened her eyes Bellatrix Lestrange was smirking back at a carbon copy of herself.

"See, it's amazing, isn't it Rodolphus?" Bellatrix remarked, looking to her husband as he stood from the table and walked around to the other side to see his niece. The young girl stood automatically as he reached her. "Can't tell the difference, can you?"

Rodolphus looked the girl up and down, his eyes wondering over every aspect of the young girl as she couldn't help but give an identical smirk to her Aunt. She was right, if he had not seen the girl transform himself he may have struggled to decipher which of the women before him was actually his wife.

"No . . ." Rodolphus shook his head "I can't . . ." he could suddenly see how his wife thought this mere half-blood child could help their cause as he curiously watched the fourteen-year-old turn back to her natural appearance. The rest of the meal went smoothly, dessert soon appearing on the table as the three sat back down and resumed their meal. It wasn't until Nymphadora had gone to bed and Bellatrix was left alone with her husband in their bedroom that evening that she asked him what she had really wanted to.

"So?" Bellatrix turned to the man as she slipped her night dress over her head "She's perfect, isn't she?"

"I wouldn't call her _perfect_." Rodolphus commented as he pulled on he did up the last of the buttons on his night shirt.

"Forgetting the blood." Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

"Blood is important." Rodolphus said, getting into their large bed "You should know that, Bellatrix."

"Of course, I know that!" Bellatrix hissed, shaking the annoyance from herself before going over and kneeling on the bed, looking down at her husband "But in a case like this . . . it could be worse."

"It could be." Rodolphus agreed.

"You see the importance of my befriending her though?" Bellatrix asked, casually letting one her of hands rest on the man's knee. "She will be the perfect tool."

"Perhaps, if we can get the stench of Mudblood off of her." Rodolphus remarked.

"We?" Bellatrix grinned, leaning down over her husband as she laid on his chest.

"Well, mostly you." Rodolphus shrugged with a smirk. "You're already doing a good enough job without my interference."

"Was that a compliment, Lestrange?" Bellatrix giggled.

"Why yes," Rodolphus commented before with a shriek from his wife he soon had her pinned to the bed as he loomed over her "I do give them on occasion."

Bellatrix went to speak though she was soon silenced by her husband's lips crashing into her own as his hands wandered her body. Merlin, she had forgotten how much Rodolphus enjoyed seeing her in her mischievously evil moods. She gasped as his teeth grazed her skin, this was sure to be an enjoyable Christmas.

* * *

The next day Nymphadora was woken up by a peculiar looking house elf at eight thirty in the morning, a time she deemed far too early to wake up for in the Christmas holidays. As she dressed for the day she was secretly grateful that her Aunt had instructed the elf to stay to take her down to the dining room, she definitely needed help with today's corseted dress. Rodolphus was not at the breakfast table, according to his Aunt he was at the ministry. She wasn't sure what he did there, though the girl naïvely guessed that from the size of their home he must be in some high up position.

"Come, Dora." Bellatrix said as the morning's breakfast vanished from the table, rising to from her seat and beckoning the girl from the room.

"Where are we going?" Dora asked, walking quickly to keep up with her Aunt whilst not tripping over her own feet.

"We're going to a special room of mine." Bellatrix said, "I'm going to teach you some spells today."

"Cool." Dora grinned, unable to help but let her hair turn its usual bright pink. "Have you put wards up? You know, because of the whole 'no magic outside of Hogwarts' thing?"

"No," Bellatrix scoffed "families such as mine have long since earned the right to teach the children of their family magic outside of the confines of Hogwarts. There would be uproar if they stopped us—and they would be considerably worse off for gold."

Nymphadora just about managed to stop herself crashing into her Aunt again this time as she stopped abruptly again.

"What's wrong?" Dora asked as she straightened herself.

"Someone is here." Bellatrix reached out slightly as if trying to grab something that wasn't there before with a small smirk she walked back towards the front of the manor. Nymphadora frowned for a moment before she hurried to catch up with her Aunt, though as she reached the front doors of the manor she couldn't help but instinctively pull back slightly, her bright pink hair turning into a less noticeable dark brown.

With a flick of her wrist, Bellatrix opened the doors to Lestrange manor, grinning as she saw the woman before her. "Narcissa." Bellatrix said, summoning the elf to take her sisters travelling cloak "and Draco."

The seven-year-old blonde child look up at his Aunt nervously, sticking closely to his mother as possible. "Come Draco, don't be shy." Narcissa sighed as she looked down at the boy, "Say hello to your Aunt."

"Hello, Aunt Bella." Draco said dutifully, handing his travelling cloak to the elf now bowing before them.

"Good boy." Narcissa sighed before she went to say something to her sister, though whatever she was planning to say was soon lost on her lips as she caught sight of the teenager staring at her. "Bellatrix . . ."

"Hmm?" Bellatrix smirked, then looked back to Nymphadora, grinning as she realised what her sister wanted as she held her hand out for the girl to come to her. "Oh, this is Nymphadora. You know Nymphadora, don't you? Well, I suppose you don't know her but—well this is our niece."

Draco frowned at the girl stood now stood before them, holding the hand of his Aunt who in his opinion was rather terrifying. "Hello . . ." Dora said, not sure of what else to say as her blonde Aunt looked down to her with a wide-eyed look of what seemed like a mixture of shock—if Nymphadora wasn't mistaken—fear.

"Bellatrix . . ." Narcissa said her sister's name again "What—?"

"Shall we speak in private, Narcissa?" Bellatrix interrupted. "Let the youngsters keep each other company whilst we have a little chat, they are cousins after all."

Narcissa held back a shudder at the thought as she turned to glare at her sister for suggesting such a thing.

"They'll be _fine_." Bellatrix shrugged as she let go of Nymphadora's hand and took her sister's arm. "Dora, why don't you take Draco to your room for a little while."

Narcissa was stunned for words, wanting nothing but to simultaneously scream at her sister and grab her child and apparate as far away from the situation as possible. Though she couldn't help but stare at the teenager leading her child up the stairs whilst her sister lead her away, the girl looked so much like Andromeda at her age it pained her to see it. Soon all nostalgic thoughts were swept from her mind as Bellatrix shut the door to the living room she had led her into, quickly warding the room so that they couldn't be heard from outside its walls.

"How can I help you today, Narcissa?" Bellatrix said as she went to the drinks cabinet, pouring two small glasses of wine for the pair before turning and offering one to her sister. The innocent look on her features as if she had done nothing wrong infuriated Narcissa, so much so that she nearly threw the wine from her sister's hand rather than accept it.

" _What_ —How— _How can you help me_?" Narcissa said, giving her sister an incredulous stare "Are you _serious_?"

"No, I'm Bellatrix." Bellatrix laughed, putting the wine glasses down on the table.

"This is not the time for jokes!" Narcissa snapped. "Does Rodolphus know that she is here? Did you kidnap her? Are you mad?!"

"Yes, no and maybe a little." Bellatrix shrugged, sitting down on the couch.

"Bellatrix!" Narcissa yelled in her frustration before she begun to pace the room, Bellatrix following her with her eyes as she relaxed on the couch, she continued this for a few minutes before she calmed enough to be able to stop and look to her sister yet again. "What are you doing with her?"

"She wanted to stay with me for Christmas, so I invited her." Bellatrix said as if having the half-blood child of her disowned sister in her home was the most normal thing.

"What about Andromeda?"

"What about her?"

"What about her?!" Narcissa repeated.

"Honestly, Narcissa you're not a parrot." Bellatrix sighed as she took a sip of her wine. "No need to repeat what I say."

" _Bellatrix_." Narcissa groaned as she fell into an armchair "What are you doing liaising with Andromeda and her half-blood offspring?"

"Who said I was talking to Andromeda?" Bellatrix wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"I—Andromeda doesn't know!?"

"Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Narcissa yelled as she stood up yet again. "Are you looking to get disowned?! Just because you are married now doesn't mean you can't be struck off the family tree!"

"I won't be struck off." Bellatrix laughed.

"Oh? What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because Nymphadora is a powerful child, you know this Narcissa. It was you who told me of it." Bellatrix said "Remember, years ago, in Diagon Alley? You told me she was a metamorphmagus. Well, I simply had to meet her after that."

"You mean to tell me—You mean to tell me that you have been talking to Nymphadora Tonks for this long?" Narcissa asked, her eyes wide in disbelief yet again "You have been talking to this girl without Andromeda's knowledge? What for!?"

"I told you, she is powerful." Bellatrix said, more slowly this time as if she thought her younger sister to be dumb "I have plans for her. She will make a powerful servant to the Dark Lords cause one day and before that—if I end up having to divulge my association with her—our family will not disown me for it. They will be just as intrigued to know her. Imagine the uses of a metamorphmagus for the House of Black?"

"You—You would not give her to father." Narcissa shuddered at the thought, their father was a terrible man and she dreaded to think what treatment the young girl would receive from him. "You can't."

"Oh, I won't." Bellatrix shrugged. "Though they would hardly shun her when they knew of her powers."

"I can't believe you . . ." Narcissa sighed, shaking her head as she summoned her wine glass and drank deeply from it. "This is madness . . . The girl . . . She . . . The Dark Lord is—"

"Shut your mouth before I make you." Bellatrix hissed. "He will rise again, even if your coward of a husband is too naïve to think so. He is not dead, he had too many precautions in place to prevent that happening. He is out there somewhere and he will return to power."

Narcissa opened her mouth, ready to speak again though the look of fury her sister gave her warned her to keep her thoughts on the matter to herself. She took a deep breath before she stood up again. "I do not want to know what you are doing, though if you hurt that girl . . . Well, Andromeda will come down on you like a ton of bricks."

"I'm not scared of her." Bellatrix laughed.

"No, though she knew just as many curses as you did when we were children, Bella."

" _When we were children_." Bellatrix scoffed "I could defeat her with my eyes closed now. Besides, my intention is not to hurt the girl—she idolises me."

"Poor girl." Narcissa shook her head as her sister laughed again.

"Come now, Narcissa." Bellatrix walked ahead of her sister, forcing her to follow her. When they reached Nymphadora's room they found the girl sat on the bed, her nose that of a pig's snout as Draco laughed hysterically sat beside her.

"Aunt Bella." Dora looked to her Aunt, sheepishly morphing her pig snout away as her other Aunt gave her a curious look.

"You look as if you two are having fun." Bellatrix smirked as Draco jumped off of the bed, composing himself. She could feel the unease from her sister still radiating off of her, though she didn't care. She knew that Narcissa would play along with her games, just as she always had since they were children.

* * *

Christmas day was a wonderful affair. Nymphadora woke up early that day to a small stocking full of perfumes and trinkets at the end of her bed, they had a small breakfast before she received clothes of beautiful jewellery and clothes along with some dark arts books that looked extremely intriguing (all of which the girl was forbidden to let her parents know she had). Though her favourite present from her Aunt had to be a two-way mirror, her Aunt told her that she had the sister mirror and that all she needed to do was say her name into the glass and she would be able to talk to her.

They had a small feast for the three of them for their lunch and that evening Narcissa popped over briefly to give her sister and brother-in-law their gifts. Narcissa even gave a small gift to the girl, a silver necklace with a jewelled pendant that changed colours to match her hair.

It was nothing like the Christmas's the girl was used to. Usually, she would end up in the living room with her father, watching his favourite Christmas films on the television as her mother busied herself in the kitchen to avoid the embarrassment of her confusion with the 'muggle box'. They would have a reasonable Christmas dinner and then, if they had been lucky enough to have snow, she would end up in a snowball fight with her father in the garden. She couldn't help but miss her parents slightly and perhaps that was the reason that after an hour of trying to sleep in her bed that night Nymphadora found herself on a midnight stroll to the kitchens.

She was sure she was lost though, for she hadn't even managed to reach the staircase yet. A week in the large manor had not yet led Dora to be able to find her way around the place without getting lost, usually, her Aunt or Uncle would bump into her and show her where she was supposed to be going or even the house elf. Though as she wondered the halls she wondered if she'd even be able to find her way back to her bedroom, let alone the kitchen.

"I don't see the point anymore, Rodolphus." Bellatrix's voice carried down the hall, causing the girl to jump slightly though she quickly held her balance to stop herself falling over. She looked down the hallway, she could see a small light flowing from an open door a little way down. Nymphadora Tonks bit her lip before her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself tiptoeing towards the sound. "It's so faint now . . ." she heard her Aunt breathe.

"Yet it's still there, Ma Belle." A man's voice replied, Rodolphus. Dora held her breath as she tried not to make a noise. "You don't want anyone to see it, do you? What if Nymphadora sees it?" her Aunt grunted in reply. "When do you plan to tell her, Bellatrix?"

"She's too young . . ." Bellatrix murmured. Dora's mind raced. What was she too young for? What wasn't she telling her?

"You were never too young for such information." Rodolphus remarked.

"I was determined to know it all . . . to do what I could when I could." Bellatrix replied, "Though I was a different case."

Nymphadora edged closer to the door, it was only open slightly ajar, if she was ever so careful she could probably lean forward a little to see into the room.

"Hmm, ready?" Rodolphus asked.

Nymphadora leaned forward, convinced that her Aunt and Uncle would hear her from how loudly her heart was beating in her chest. She could see a small section of what appeared to be a study, her Aunt was sat on the desk as her husband stood beside her, she held her left arm up to herself as she inspected it very carefully as if it held deep secrets she was trying to unlock.

"Just get on with it." Bella hissed as her husband asked her if she was ready again. She held her left arm out for the man and that is when Nymphadora saw it. Her Aunt was right, whatever was on her arm was extremely faint though clearly still there. Her uncle moved his wand to the tip of her arm and muttered an incantation, with a hiss of pain from her Aunt the mark gradually disappeared.

"Better than the pain of the Dementors." Rodolphus mumbled, lifting up his left sleeve and holding out his arm to his wife so he could do whatever he had just done to her to him.

"We are still faithful." Bellatrix whispered as she looked down at the mark on her husband's arm. "The Dark Lord, he'll rise . . . though the other Death Eaters may be traitorous scum we will still be there for him."

Nymphadora didn't hear what her Uncle said, it seemed as if all the blood had rushed to her head and her stomach had dropped several inches. Without thinking she turned on the spot and returned in the direction of what she thought was her room, being careful to be as quiet as possible until she reached her goal. She dropped onto her bed as she stared at the mirror opposite her, her hair had turned white.

The last wizarding war had finished in 1981 when Nymphadora Tonks was eight years old. Therefore, she was not naïve even to not know who 'The Dark Lord' was or what 'Death Eaters' were. She remembered her mother being so careful, she was barely aloud to play in the garden as a child without her mother or father present for fear of these people. Though she never fully understood the depth of what they did—her mother was sure to hide her from those details—one thing she did know is that she was supposed to be scared of them. Though her Aunt was not scary, not at all, and even though her Uncle could be a bit intimidating she was sure neither one of them would harm her. She had known her Aunt since she was nine years old, there was no way on this earth she could be seen as 'evil' to the girl in the way that her mother had described the Death Eaters. Even as she watched herself in the mirror she thought it preposterous and forced the white out of her hair as she changed it to a black to match her Aunts. Perhaps her mother had lied about the true nature of Death Eaters and The Dark Lord? Her mother told her that they would hurt her but her Aunt would never . . .

Nymphadora's head spun with a thousand thoughts as her head hit the pillow, staring up at the canopy of the four-poster bed. There had to be an explanation to this, her Aunt had planned to tell her about this from what she had heard anyway—just not yet. She was sure that she had nothing to worry about. Though as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep she decided she would have to do some investigations into what being a Death Eater actually meant, rather than what her mother told her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I hope you enjoyed reading that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, please do leave me a review if you have a moment and let me know what you thought!
> 
> The Purple Black


	9. Hogsmeade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely comments so far. Please do enjoy this latest update and let me know what you think if you have a moment, I love hearing your thoughts. :D

Nymphadora Tonks had spent the entire day in the library. She had returned from Lestrange Manor the previous day and after spending the night still unable to forget what she had overheard between her Aunt and Uncle she had resigned herself to researching in the library. She had not mentioned what she had seen or heard to her Aunt and she assumed that since her Aunt had not mentioned it to her she had not been seen herself. Nymphadora thought it a wise idea not to mention the incident either. She was not scared of her Aunt, she had no reason to be, she figured that her Aunt must have been a Death Eater for as long as she had known her—unless people were handing out dark marks after The Dark Lord fell. She thought that unlikely.

Though every book she had managed to find on the subject of the wizarding war that had centred around the Dark Lord seemed to make her think she should be terrified of her Aunt. The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters worked to 'purify the wizarding race', to rid the world of all of those they deemed unworthy of magic. She knew this included muggles and even muggle-borns, from what she could gather this only vaguely covered her own blood—half-bloods. Dora assumed they were tolerated, dependant on their beliefs or their willingness to 'stand up' to the 'dark cause'. She knew her father was a 'mudblood', and though she knew her Aunt didn't necessarily like this fact about her she had never thought she would harm her due to her own blood.

Dora let out a huff of annoyance as she opened the next book in front of her, she had little hope that this would give her any more of the information that she desired.

"What are you doing, Tonks?"

The girl jumped slightly as the voice came from behind her and she turned to see Thorfinn Rowle. The fourth-year boy raised an eyebrow at her, looking to the books laid on the table in front of her. She narrowed her eyes for a moment before she returned to her books.

"It's called reading," Dora said, pulling her open book closer to herself. "You should try it sometime."

"Ouch." Rowle sniggered, ignoring the look the girl gave him as he pulled up the chair next to her.

"What are you doing?" Dora demanded.

"Well, you said to try it sometime." He shrugged, taking one of the books from the girl's pile.

"I didn't—" Dora shook her head "What do you want?"

"I was just curious." Rowle shrugged, flipping through the pages of the book "Why have you got so many books about the last war out?"

"None of your business." Dora huffed.

"Full of it today, aren't you Tonks?" Thorfinn rolled his eyes before dropping the book he was holding to the table. "You're not going to find anything in here of any great interest or truth."

Dora hesitated for a moment, looking to the books before she looked at the boy curiously. "What do you mean?"

The boy couldn't help but smirk slightly, amused that he had caught the girl's attention finally "Well they all lie." He paused, looking around for a moment to make sure no-one was in earshot before he leant closer to the girl, lowering his voice "All of these books—they go on about how _awful_ The Dark Lord was. How his Death Eaters were ruthless, murdering, dangerous criminals—well, maybe they were a little bit. But they were only working to make the world a better place, to stop muggles running the place and scum stealing our magic." Thorfinn paused for a moment, looking the girl over and shaking his head "You wouldn't understand—you're only a half-blood—hey!" Thorfinn glared at the girl after she sent a small stinging hex at him.

She merely smiled apologetically at the librarian as her she gave a disapproving look of the noise. The moment her back was turned though Nymphadora looked back to the boy, glaring right back at him. "I'm not 'only' a half-blood. I'm smarter than you and you're a year above me."

"No, you're—"

"I heard you asked if the Draught of Living Death was how Inferius were made." Tonks said with a sly grin.

"Well, it would make sense—"

"No, it wouldn't. Inferius are made by dark spells, not potions. Everyone knows that." Dora rolled her eyes "Besides, from what I can gather it doesn't matter if you're half-blood—but it was mostly pure bloods that followed the Dark Lord."

"His Death Eaters." Rowle nodded, apparently eager to forget the subject of Inferius. "He was a powerful, powerful man. He had loads of followers — most of them were Pure Blood but there's so little of us now compared to what we used to be . . . of course he had to let the half-bloods in . . . Think about it though Tonks, if we all started breeding with muggles or mudbloods we're eventually going to die out — if we don't get our magic stolen before that. Imagine a world without magic . . ." the boy shuddered before he shook his head. "He'll be back one day—The Dark Lord. Personally, I hope he does come back. I'd serve him. Imagine going out on missions, doing what you wanted, no sticking to within the law, no restraints . . ." he sighed, standing up from his chair with a shrug "Anyway, he'll be back one day. A man like that doesn't get killed by a baby."

Dora watched the boy leave, laughing to himself as he thought of the absurdity of it all. He was right, how could a baby kill a man that powerful? Was there even proof that he was dead? She was sure her Aunt would rejoice at his return. She bit her lip in thought. Her Aunt had thought she was too young to know that she was a Death Eater and all that that entailed. Though Rodolphus had said that Bellatrix was 'never too young for such information'. Her Aunt was 'determined' in her words, determined to know it all and do what she could when she could. Maybe it was time to prove to her Aunt that she wasn't 'too young'. Perhaps it was time to ask Bellatrix Lestrange about her life before she had been introduced to it.

* * *

It was a cold day as Nymphadora stood alone in Hogsmeade village. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself as she looked down at her watch. Her Aunt was late. She was only five minutes late, to be fair to her, but still Nymphadora was anxious enough as it was. She quickly looked up and down the street before leaning back on the wall of the Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. It was just as she was starting to panic that her Aunt wasn't going to turn up that she jumped in fright.

"Sorry," Bellatrix said in amusement as she took her hand off of the girl's shoulder. "Did I scare you?"

"No." Dora lied instantly, straightening up as she looked to her Aunt "How do you always manage to creep up on me like that?"

"Creep up on you?" Bellatrix repeated with a tone of amusement before she shrugged "It's a talent, I suppose."

"Definitely." Dora murmured, unsure of what else to say.

Bellatrix tilted her head slightly as she looked at the girl, as if considering some important matter before she nodded for the girl to follow her. Nymphadora never fully understood why she was always so willing to follow her Aunt without question, without even a word exchanged sometimes, though she followed her. The girl lost track of how long they had been walking, become more and more aware of how far from the wizarding high street they were as they reached the hills. She had this horrible feeling in her gut that she was being stupid, that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that she could ask Bellatrix about being a Death Eater whilst in such a secluded place. She shook her head; her Aunt wouldn't hurt her . . . would she?

"Ompf!" Dora grunted as she tripped on the uneven ground, blushing furiously as her Aunt had managed to turn and catch her just before she managed to dash her head on the floor. "Th—Thanks."

"You're welcome." Bellatrix said.

The woman clearly suspected something was wrong, she wasn't her usual self. So quiet and reserved. Though perhaps it was because Nymphadora had told her in her last letter that she had needed to talk to her about something, maybe she shouldn't have done that. Dora went to walk on though her Aunt shook her head, smirking after a moment and dropping to sit on the floor and motioning for the young girl to do the same.

"It's lovely up here, isn't it?" Bellatrix mused as she looked out at the view in front of them.

"Yeah—Cold though." Dora said, smiling slightly as her Aunt let out a small laugh.

"Here." Bellatrix drew her wand, pressing the tip to her niece's robes as she let out a shudder of delight at the sudden warmth with muttered thanks. She pocketed her wand again, frowning slightly at the young girl and tucking a stray hand of deep purple locks behind her ear. "What's wrong, pet? You seem . . . distracted."

"I—" Dora took a deep breath before she looked into her Aunts dark, questioning eyes. "I need to talk to you about something."

"So you said." Bellatrix said "Is there something the matter? The girls in your dorm room bothering you again?"

"No—I mean, well yeah they are a little bit but I'm planning to—it doesn't matter. That's not what it's about." Dora closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her nerves.

"So, what is it? . . . Nymphadora?" Bellatrix reached out, placing a reassuring hand on her niece's arm as she made her look back to her. A questioning, concerned look was upon Bellatrix's face—one that barely a man alive would have been able to tell was hiding the impatient frustration truly running through Bellatrix Lestrange's mind in that moment.

"I—" Nymphadora went to speak again before she decided there was no way to be able to get her words out. Instead, she slowly moved her free arm, reaching across her Aunt. The woman turned over her arm without question, allowing the girl to slowly lift her left sleeve with her nervously shaking hand. The moment she saw the bare skin on her arm she furrowed her brow in confusion, not daring to look up at her Aunt's face as she tried to think of how it wasn't there. "I saw it—I—Why . . ."

There was a heavy silence in the air, nothing to be heard apart from the winter's wind moving through the trees around them. "You did . . ." Bellatrix breathed eventually. "I knew you had. You do not share my talent for 'creeping up' on people."

Dora looked up to her Aunt, not moving an inch as she was unsure of what would happen next. "Y—You're a . . . You're a Death Eater." It wasn't a question, she knew whether there was a mark there now or not that that fact was certain.

"Does that scare you, Nymphadora?" Bellatrix near enough whispered, watching the girl before her intently for her reaction. "Do _I_ scare you?"

Nymphadora Tonks looked from her Aunts arm back to her Aunt. She had known this woman for so long, she was her flesh and blood . . . If she had wanted to hurt her she would have by now. She shook her head.

"You can be a terrible liar at times, girl." Bellatrix scoffed in amusement "Though I would not hurt a single hair on your head, Dora."

"Is Rodolphus a Death Eater?" Dora asked.

"Yes." Bellatrix said simply.

"You've always been a Death Eater?"

"Since before you were born."

"And you want The Dark Lord back?"

"Of course!" Bellatrix said automatically, wrinkling her nose at the girl as if the mere thought of wanting anything over than that was disgusting to her.

"And—" Dora bit her lip, finally withdrawing her hand from her Aunt as she looked down at her feet as if suddenly fascinated by her boots "And you don't care that I'm—That I'm not a Pure Blood?"

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath as she wrapped an arm around the girl and pulled her closer to herself. "No." she lied. "If I cared about that would I endure you for all of this time? You're _special_ , Nymphadora. Your blood—as sullied by filth as it may be—is still partly that of a noble and great house. The pure power you show in your mere ability to morph alone proves that your blood is something that can be clearly overlooked."

Nymphadora let herself rest her head on her Aunts shoulder, smiling slightly to herself as she was reassured in her mind of her Aunts love for her. After mere moments of silence, she looked up at her Aunt with a mischievous grin, her Aunt smirking down at her in amusement. "What are you thinking, girl?"

"Tell me everything," Dora said. "I want to hear your stories, what it was like, what you did— _how you got away with it_."

Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh at the girl. "Now is neither the time nor the place."

"I'm not too young!" Dora insisted, sitting bolt upright as she pulled away from her Aunt. "Rodolphus said you were _never_ too young to hear everything and neither am I. I'm determined to know it all, just like you said you were, I'm not different I swear." Dora paused, sitting up on her heels as she looked to her Aunt now leaning back on the palm of her hands, the woman's eyes trailing over her as if inspecting her for something. " _Please_."

". . . Okay." Bellatrix said after a few moments, though soon put her finger up to pause the girl before she could babble on again "But not now—soon though."

"When?" Dora asked eagerly, unable to contain her excitement as her hair began to tinge a bright pink in her delight.

The woman took her time to speak again, slowly getting to her feet as she brushed her skirts down with her hands before looking back to the girl. "In the summer."

"You'll come see me?"

" _You_ will come and see _me_." Bellatrix smirked, "Come and stay with me for a little while again."

"How?" Dora asked "I can't exactly tell Mum and Dad that I'm going back to Hogwarts early or leaving late. They're not that thick."

"Leave that to me." Bellatrix laughed "I've been outsmarting your mother since the day she was born. She needn't know where you really are."

"But—"

"Shh." Bellatrix reached out, pulling the girl to her feet again. She cupped the side of her face in her hand, unable to hide her triumphant smirk any longer. "I will arrange it. You must merely . . . Play along. I will let you know when exactly. Now go, back on down to Hogsmeade. We don't want your classmates to wonder where you've gotten to, do we?"

Dora shook her head, smiling nervously as her Aunt embraced her for a moment. Before she knew it with the distinct sound of apparation echoing along the hill Nymphadora Tonks was alone, thoughts of what would come in the summer racing through her young mind.


	10. The Death Eater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely comments so far. Please do enjoy this latest update and let me know what you think if you have a moment, I love hearing your thoughts. :D

Nymphadora laid back on her cotton sheets back at the Tonks household. She had to admit, ever since she had been at Lestrange manor, her room just didn't have the great appeal to her that it had once had. Yes, it was _her_ room, personalised to her tastes with her old battered furniture that she had dutifully scribbled on at various points in her life or damaged in some other accidental way, her bright pink curtains, her big fluffy rug, posters of various bands plastering the walls covering her the old wallpaper. The wallpaper was that of muggle cartoon characters, though she wouldn't admit it to her mother now she had mainly demanded such purely because she was annoyed with her mother at the time and knew she disapproved of such things. Dora couldn't help but mentally kick herself now though, scorning her younger self as she considered if she had another poster to cover the last remaining block of cartoon horses. No, this room was definitely not up to scratch since her stay with her Aunt. For Merlin's sake, she was sure she couldn't even fit one of her Aunts smaller bathrooms in this room.

The fourteen-year-old couldn't help but let out a small groan as she heard a knock on her door. She turned to the clock on her bedside table; quarter to nine was far too early to be disturbed in the summer holidays. She quickly turned to the wall, wrapping her duvet up closely up around her as she heard the door creak open.

"Dora?" Andromeda's voice called out.

The girl feigned sleep. This was an old trick, perhaps her mother would take pity on her still sleeping teenage daughter and leave her be, this trick rarely worked. She listened to her mother walking across her room, screwing her eyes shut as she heard the curtains being pulled open.

"Come on, Nymphadora. Time to get up." Andromeda Tonks chimed.

"Don't call me Nymphadora." Dora grumbled.

"Ah, so you are awake?" Andromeda laughed.

"No," Dora snapped ". . . that is a dirty trick. You know I don't like _that name_."

"Well, unfortunately, you are stuck with it." Andromeda said as she sat on the edge of her daughter's bed "Now don't make me vanish the duvet again."

Dora turned on her back, peeking her eyes above the duvet to glare at her mother. "I could be naked under here."

"Well, seeing as your pyjama draw is open with a trail of clothes strewn from it yet again, I would take a guess that you're not." Andromeda shrugged. "Besides, I've seen it all before."

"When I was a baby!" Dora protested.

"More recently than that, I have a very vivid memory of you running to your room naked at the age of . . . six, maybe seven?" Andromeda mused.

"I couldn't help that!" Dora cried in her indignation "It was accidental magic, I really hated that pink frilly monstrosity you put me in. How was I to know if I hated it enough the thing would bloody disappear? Besides, I would thank you to not bring that up again."

"It's a mother's duty to remember every last embarrassing moment of their child's life." Andromeda couldn't help but smirk, it was small gestures like these that truly made Nymphadora realise how much her mother looked like her older sister. "But I'll be sure not to bring it up in front of your friend."

"Well, I should hope not." Dora nodded before she frowned slightly. "What friend?"

"Your friend." Andromeda rolled her eyes in amusement as her daughter sat up in her bed. "See I knew you were wearing pyjamas. Though I do question why you wear that ratty old t-shirt when I brought you some perfectly good nightdresses, not the other day. Did you even put them away?" Andromeda sighed as she spotted the bag stuffed by the side of her daughter's dresser, drawing her wand and making the clothes neatly fold themselves away. "I don't know why I bother to ask you to tidy."

"I like this shirt and I was going to put it away today—What friend?" Dora asked again, pushing the duvet off of herself as she watched her mother get up and begin to tidy her room with magic.

"Patricia. Patricia Weatherby?" Andromeda said, not seeing the confusion on her daughters face as she tutted at the evidence of midnight snacks being snuck into the room. "Her mother wrote to me, seems like a lovely woman. She said that her daughter had asked if you could stay over at her home for the rest of the holidays."

Dora watched her mother as she magically folded the clothes in her drawer for her, her mind racing. This had to be Aunt Bellatrix, she was quite sure she'd never heard of a Patricia Weatherby and was certain she had no friend called Patricia. Her Aunt did warn her she had a plan to get her back to Lestrange manor, though she had hounded her about it at least once a week she was sure it was going to be an impossible feat as September 1st drew ever nearer. Dora jumped out of bed, her hair a bright pink as she grinned at her mother.

"So when am I going? It's already Friday and the last full week of the holidays is next week." Dora asked, not put off as her mother turned to frown at her.

"Do you not want to stay here?" Andromeda said "I know you want to spend time with your friend but you're supposed to be going over to your grandparents for tea next week—and Mrs Weatherby did say they were muggles. I know they'll be used to magic but you shouldn't be morphing around muggles."

"I won't, I swear." Dora said, unable to hide her excitement despite her confusion as to why her Aunt would say she had a Mudblood friend so willingly. "I never morph around Nan and Grandad Tonks and _besides_ I saw them last weekend, they won't mind."

"Dora—"

" _Please?_ " Dora whined, "I promise I'll be extra good and I'll spend as much time as you want with you until then and I'll tidy keep my room tidy and—"

"Dora, breathe." Andromeda couldn't help but laugh slightly as her daughter bit her lip to stop herself talking.

"Please?" She asked again, giving her mother her most innocent pout.

"I talked to your father before he went to work. We'll have to go to Diagon Alley today to get your things as she wants to pick you up on Sunday. I've already sent the owl back telling her it's okay—Oompf!" Andromeda jumped in shock as her daughter ran at her and hugged her, relaxing after a moment as she hugged her back and kissed her head in amusement.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Dora yelled.

"Alright, alright." Andromeda laughed. "It's lovely to see you're so happy to leave your parents. Now come on, get dressed so we can go shopping. I don't want to hear you complaining whilst I buy you clothes either."

"I won't." Dora grinned, taking a step back from her mother before she thought for a moment "Can I have some corset dresses? Please?"

"I—Dora you've never worn a corset a day in your life, why do you suddenly want one?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Well . . . The rest of the Slytherin girls at school seem to own them . . . they look pretty?" Dora shrugged, hoping her excuse was enough.

"Oh . . ." Andromeda considered the girl thoughtfully for a moment. Her prior amusement at her daughter's antics was all but gone as she nodded slightly "Okay . . . But you know, you don't have to act like those other girls."

"Mum, I'm fine." Dora sighed. "I just want a nice dress."

"Okay." Andromeda said, unconvinced "Go get some clothes on then and we'll go."

* * *

"Mum!" Dora yelled, bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Dora, I told you to stop running in the house." Andromeda sighed, turning from the pile of dishes she was magically putting away.

"But it's urgent." The girl complained, "She's going to be here soon and I can't find my lucky socks."

"Lucky socks?" Andromeda frowned in confusion before she shook her head "What on earth—"

"They're bright green and the left one has a hole on the heel."

"I did fix some socks for you—"

"Mum!" Dora gasped "You did _not_ sew up my sock!"

"If it was broken I fixed it." Andromeda rolled her eyes, shutting the kitchen cupboards.

"Lefty was not broken." Dora huffed.

"Really Dora," Andromeda couldn't help but laugh slightly as the tips of her daughter's hair turned red. "I'm sure it will be just as 'lucky' now your heel is not sticking out of it anymore."

" _Mum_." Dora groaned. "Where is it?"

"In your case, neatly folded away." Andromeda said, "Did you even look?"

"Yes."

"So I suspect your things are no longer 'neatly folded' are they?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"They're all inside the trunk." Dora shrugged. "That's all that matters. But there are no lucky socks in there—even if they have been mutilated by you."

"Mutilated? Really?" Andromeda sighed. "I'll go find your merlin forsaken 'lucky socks'."

Dora rolled her eyes as her mother left the room to go and find her socks for her, waiting until she heard her heading up the stairs before with a mischievous grin she went over to what her father believed to be his 'secret' hiding spot for his muggle sweets. She had half a mars bar stuffed in her mouth when she heard the knock on the door.

"She's here!" Dora yelled as she swallowed the chocolate, stuffing the rest of the bar in her pocket as she ran to the front door.

"Dora, _running_." Andromeda called from upstairs.

"Sorry!" Dora yelled back, stopping just short of hitting the door. She drew herself upright and took a deep breath as she opened the door. The woman in front of her looked nothing like her Aunt. She was at least a few dress sizes larger than Bellatrix, bright blonde hair, green and her clothes were something the teenager was sure Bellatrix Lestrange wouldn't be caught dead in. She was wearing _jeans_ for starters and a cardigan that looked like something her muggle grandmother had knit.

"Well, you must be Nymphadora." Bellatrix smirked, it was undeniably her smirk, though the moment she saw Andromeda Tonks at the top of the staircase the smirk was instantly replaced by a seemingly charming smile that was certainly not a look Bellatrix usually gave.

"I take it you are Patricia's mother?" Andromeda asked as she reached the pair.

"And you must be Nymphadora's mother?" Dora stood back from the woman, watching her Aunt intently, terrified she was going to do something to give her away.

"Andromeda." She smiled politely, her eyes flickering to the woman's outstretched hand for a few moments before she quickly shook it. Dora couldn't help but be amused at the situation, even through her underlying crippling fear that her mother would see right through the woman's disguise, as Andromeda stepped back and wrapped an arm around her daughter. "Where is Patricia? I expected her to be with you."

"Oh, no." Bellatrix said, "She's had to go out with her father at the last minute so I offered to pick up Nymphadora." She gave a warm smile to her sister. "Where is Nymphadora's father?"

"Oh, he's at work."

"That's . . . nice. Patricia tells me Dora's father is a—Oh what's the word? . . . Muggle?" she said, seemingly making polite conversation though Nymphadora had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying something. Bellatrix knew her dad wasn't a muggle.

"No, he is not." Andromeda said curtly, her polite smile now seeming slightly forced on her features. "He's muggle- _born_."

"Oh?" Bellatrix feigned confusion "There's a difference?"

"Yes—A significant one." Andromeda said.

"Oh? How?" Bellatrix feigned confusion. Dora was sure she was getting some amusement from this whole situation. "Muggle, muggle-born, seems quite similar to me. Sorry, I don't understand all of these terms."

"I—" Andromeda couldn't help but frown as she had to explain herself, clearly being made uncomfortable from the situation. "He has muggle parents, but he's a wizard. Like your girl is a witch with muggle parents."

"Oh yes, I suppose that would make sense." Bellatrix laughed slightly "It all gets highly confusing, personally I still don't see the difference—though as I said, I suppose _us muggles_ simply can't grasp the concept of all your magical terms."

"I shouldn't." Andromeda said hurriedly before looking to her daughter behind her, the girl quickly hiding her confusion. "Dora why don't you go and get your things. I've already put a weightlessness charm on it for you."

"Okay." Dora nodded quickly before looking to her disguised Aunt. "Perhaps you could help me? It won't weigh anything but it's still big and I'm clumsy."

"Dora, you can—"

"It's quite alright." Bellatrix nodded, letting Dora go ahead of her up the stairs "We wouldn't want her to swing the thing and chip your . . . _lovely_ paintwork here, would we?"

Andromeda opened and closed her mouth as if she was unsure if she was about to say something to the woman before she nodded "Thank you." She didn't seem thankful, it was probably the most strained thank you Andromeda Tonks had given in her recent years.

"My pleasure." Bellatrix held back a smirk as she went after Dora, spotting her outside her bedroom and following her beckoning as she made sure to loudly whisper "So your father _isn't_ a muggle?" Dora didn't have to see her mother to be able to tell she would not have liked to hear that.

Dora instantly closed the door behind them both, the girl going to say something to her Aunt before she saw the finger she put over her lips barely concealing her huge grin of amusement. Dora couldn't help but shake her head, giggling slightly. "Later." Bella whispered.

"Right." Dora nodded, walking over to the trunk at the end of her bed.

"Interesting room you have . . ." Bellatrix mused, her eyes lingering on the one spot of exposed cartoon wallpaper.

"Uh." Dora laughed nervously "Dad put that up—when I was little—a long time ago."

"Right." Bellatrix smirked, turning to the girl and picking up her trunk for her.

"Au—"

"Shh, girl!" Bellatrix hissed, motioning towards the door.

Dora blushed "Right . . . Can we go now?"

"I don't know . . . maybe your mother will invite me for tea?" Bellatrix joked.

"Unlikely. She clearly doesn't like 'Mrs Weatherby'."

"Shame." Bellatrix pouted for a moment before motioning towards the door.

Andromeda was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for them, holding out Dora's jacket for her. "Put this on, you'll catch a chill."

"Mum, it's summer." Dora groaned, though took her jacket all the same.

"Yes well this is England, it being summer doesn't really mean much does it." Andromeda sighed, pulling the girl close to her and kissing her head "Have a lovely time darling, I'll miss you."

"Mum." Dora whined, screwing up her face before wincing as her mother gave her a warning look. She knew what she was trying to say, not to morph in front of the 'muggle', if only she knew. Dora let out a huff of annoyance before she hugged her mother back "Miss you too mum, I'll write—but not until I get back to Hogwarts. Owls confuse Muggles, right Mrs Weatherby?"

"Hmm?" Bella sighed as she looked to the pair before she seemingly remembered something "Oh, yes—very confusing. Owls . . . Ready?"

"How will you be getting to your home?" Andromeda asked.

"Oh, we'll be taking a walk to the train station." Bellatrix gave a sickly sweet smile to Andromeda.

"Right . . ." Andromeda sighed. "Be good Dora, I love you."

"Love you too." Dora smiled, reaching up and planting a quick kiss on her mother's cheek before she bounded ahead out the front door.

"Goodbye." Bellatrix said, her eyes lingering on the rigid smile of her once sister for a moment as the woman replied her goodbyes before going to catch up with her niece.

"So, how are we really getting back?" Dora asked as they reached the corner of the road. "I _know_ you're not getting on a train, way too many muggles for you to handle."

"Your mother doesn't like muggles, does she?" Bellatrix asked as they walked in the direction of the old park they used to meet at, seemingly ignoring her niece's question.

"Um, no." Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly. "She says she doesn't mind them, but I've never seen her go to Gran and Grandad Tonks' unless she absolutely has to. She says it's because all the muggle stuff confuses her but she puts up with Dad's muggle junk enough for that not to really matter if you ask me."

"Interesting. Seems old Andy hasn't entirely forgotten her upbringing." Bellatrix mused as she entered the woods behind the park.

"I suppose." Dora shrugged "You used Polyjuice potion I take it? Where did you—?"

"So many questions, Dora." Bellatrix smirked "Always inquisitive. I tried to convince Rodolphus to come, be this 'Patricia' child, he didn't like the idea. It will wear off in a minute."

"I couldn't imagine him acting like a child." Dora laughed.

"You'd be surprised, he can be very . . . convincing in his deceptions when he needs to be."

"Like when you were—"

"Shh." Bellatrix snapped, stopping abruptly and taking the girls arm. Nymphadora hated it when Bellatrix disapparated them without warning, the sensation was sickening enough with time to prepare for it.

"You look . . . disgusting." The cool voice of Rodolphus Lestrange sounded, Nymphadora snapping her eyes open again to find herself stood in the entrance hall of Lestrange Manor. Her Uncle didn't look anywhere near as amused as her Aunt was as she laughed at the man.

"Really? Don't you like this look, husband?" Bellatrix teased. She went to say something more before her hair began to darken, her eyes returning to her usual heavy-lidded dark pair, shrinking in waist size as she grew slightly taller. "How about now?"

"You need to change." Rodolphus grunted before he stood up from his position perched against the wall, his eyes lingering on Nymphadora for a moment before he went off in the direction of his study.

"Not going to help me?" Bellatrix called out before she turned to her niece. "Ergh." She shuddered as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind her "How can anyone wear clothes like this?"

"You know, some people are used to it." Dora couldn't help but laugh at the look of disgust on her Aunts face "It's comfier than corsets—though I have to admit you look better in one of your dresses."

"Hmph." Bellatrix snapped her fingers, instructing the elf that appeared to take the trunk up to her niece's room. "I do need to change. I'll meet you in the drawing room in half an hour."

"Okay." Dora grinned, her hair tinging pink "Can I get changed too?"

"I'll meet you in your room then, no doubt you'll still need help with your corset."

"Nope." Dora grinned. "Mum taught me how to do them."

"Really?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow as the girl nodded. "Interesting . . . go on then. Drawing room in half an hour."

"Right!" Dora grinned as she ran off towards her room.

* * *

Dora had changed remarkably quickly for her standards. She had thrown off her highly muggle clothes her Dad had picked for her that morning, soon morphed her hair into a long, sleek black before putting it up in a more sophisticated style and unearthed one of her new corseted dresses her mother had gotten her in Diagon Alley, finishing her outfit with a pair of small heels her Aunt had brought her previously. It clearly wasn't as expensive as any that Bellatrix had brought her in the past, though she wanted to prove to her Aunt that she had gone out and got clothes that she knew she would approve of more. It never occurred to her really at the time how much she had done all of these things to please her Aunt; in her mind she was happy with what she was wearing, what was going on around her and that was all that mattered. She was so eager to get back to her Aunt that she found herself staring at the small clock in her room until she finally decided it was okay to go down to the drawing room ahead of her Aunt. She was surprised when she saw the woman in there already, now dressed in one of her usual black corset dresses with her makeup far darker than it had been previously as she turned to smirk at the young girl.

"Eager, aren't we?" Bellatrix chimed as she took a sip from her wine glass before sitting on one of the plush armchairs in the room.

"Well, I missed you, I suppose?" Dora grinned before she went to sit in the chair beside her Aunt.

Bellatrix hummed in agreement, up and down at her niece's appearance. "New dress?"

"Mum brought me it." Dora nodded, adjusting her subconsciously adjusting one of the shoulder straps. "It's alright, not quite as nice as the ones you got me but she got all weird when I asked her for a dress that was the same style as most of them."

"Weird?" Bellatrix asked "How so? Too expensive for her?"

Dora shrugged "Sort of, Dad doesn't earn bad money but she kept on pushing me away from the more . . . 'proper' ones. Said I didn't need to wear things like that."

"'Proper' ones? Was that what she called them?" Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh. Perhaps Andromeda was starting to worry her daughter would end up aspiring to be more like she herself was as a child. I _f only she knew,_ Bellatrix thought as she reached out and put her glass down on the table between herself and the girl. It was then that she couldn't help but smirk. She had purposely put on a dress with lace arms, not having performed the charm on her dark mark when it was due the previous night it was clearly noticeable through the fabric. She watched her niece intently as she let her arm linger. The girl's eyes had grown wider, fixed upon the skull and snake with a sense of amazement tinged with the slight sense of undeniable fear. "Pretty, isn't it?" Bellatrix cooed, reaching out with her right hand to slowly lift the fabric off of her arm to let the tattoo stand unobstructed on her arm.

"Yeah . . ." Dora breathed, clearly unsure of what else to say until she frowned slightly "Why isn't it hidden?"

Bella couldn't help but let out a huff of amusement. "Because the charm I put on it to cover it doesn't last for very long, I was meant to put it on last night but it slipped my mind in the excitement of you coming." Bellatrix lied, Rodolphus had gone to put it on her last night. She had distracted him from his task in a way only his wife could, the poor man so exhausted he had forgotten until this morning when Bellatrix was already about to gulp down her polyjuice potion anyway. She wanted Dora to see it, she wanted to see her reaction.

"W—Will you tell me now?" Dora swallowed hard as she forced her gaze away from her Aunts arm, looking to the woman. "We're in private now . . . the only person around is Rodolphus and he knows . . . Does he know I know?"

"Yes." Bellatrix sighed dramatically, leaning back in her seat "He's worried."

"Worried?" Dora asked in confusion before suddenly becoming very defensive "I won't tell anyone—I haven't. What you tell me stays between you and me. You can trust me. Besides, do you really think I'd be idiot enough to go around screaming to the world my Aunt and Uncle were Death Eaters?"

"Are." Bellatrix corrected "You never stop, not for one moment."

"But you-know-who—"

" _The Dark Lord_ is not gone." Bellatrix hissed, "He will return."

"S-Sorry." Dora stuttered as her Aunt took a deep breath to calm herself.

"It's fine . . . You're young . . . Naive to his ways . . ." Bellatrix breathed.

"So tell me about him . . . Teach me." Dora near enough whispered.

"Teach you?" Bellatrix said, looking to the girl as she hid her excitement at the girl's words with a curious look plastered on her features. "Teach you what . . . _exactly_?"

"Teach me about him . . . Teach me 'his ways' . . . Death Eater ways . . ." Dora spoke quietly, as if nervous her Aunt would call her a stupid child and dismiss her at any moment. She had thought about it long and hard, she loved and admired her Aunt. When she was alone, ignored by her fellow schoolmates or worse Bellatrix had always been there for her. She was always writing to her to keep her company, or more recently talking to her in their two-way mirrors. She had researched all she could about Death Eaters, though nothing compared to learning about them from an actual Death Eater. Besides, her Aunt was perhaps her closest friend and she not only wanted to learn anything she could from the witch, she had to admit she did look up to her in some ways.

Bellatrix let out a huff of amusement despite herself "You couldn't handle it, Nymphadora."

"I could!" Dora cried "I'm not weak or stupid or anything like that, I'm powerful and smart and capable of anything I put my mind to— _you_ told me that."

"So I did . . ." Bellatrix said as the girl stared definitely back at her. "Being a Death Eater—learning our ways—isn't easy, Dora. You must be disciplined, unafraid of pain, imprisonment or worse, willing to do anything to reach your goal and serve The Dark Lord. A warrior. Capable of winning the hardest of duels and going on the most secret of missions, killing or torturing those that you must to reach your goal without flinching, all with your very life on the line every moment of every day. Though the reward, the power, the _freedom_ is like nothing you have ever experienced in your life before." Bellatrix couldn't help but let a small smirk pass her lips at the look of awe on her niece's features. "Personally, I'm not sure you've got what it takes—I mean you are smart and powerful but this . . . I'm not sure you could handle the sort of discipline and training that it involves, Dora. But it's okay, I don't think any less of you, it takes a special kind of witch to serve The Dark Lord."

Bellatrix watched the girl from the corner of her eye as she picked up her wine glass, the look on her face was almost laughable; it was as if the poor child was fighting some internal battle inside of her mind. "I could do it . . ." the teenager's voice was barely above a whisper before with a renewed look of determination she looked her Aunt straight in the eyes. "Try me."

The Death Eater paused, pretending to consider the girl for a moment "I wouldn't want to hurt you."

"You wouldn't."

"I _would_." Bellatrix said, shaking her head "You don't learn all there is to know without getting hurt. You're a child, you couldn't handle it."

"I could!" Dora snapped, to Bellatrix's surprise the tips of her hair were tinging red "I'm not some little girl, I can handle it."

"Calm." Bellatrix said warningly, waiting for the girl to stop and take a deep breath before she nodded ". . . Fine . . . I'll start tomorrow."

"Really?" Dora grinned, her red tips instantly changing to pink.

"Don't make me regret it." Bellatrix sighed.

"I won't!" Dora cried, getting up out of her seat and jumping at her Aunt to hug her firmly. "I won't let you down, Aunt Bella."

Bellatrix winced as the girl hugged her, usually disliking such intimate gestures from the child. Though as the realisation of all that she had achieved with the girl, would go on to achieve, she couldn't help the broad smirk on her features as she allowed herself to embrace the girl in return. Her plan was slowly coming together.

* * *


	11. Teach Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all of your comments so far, I'm so sorry I forgot to update this story! As an apology I'll put up two chapters in a row :) 
> 
> So please do read, enjoy and let me know what you think!

Nymphadora walked carefully down the corridors of Lestrange Manor, determined not to make an idiot of herself as she tried to walk 'like a lady' the way her mother had tried to teach her. She followed the elf leading her to her Aunt, trying not to get distracted by the portraits on the wall watching her suspiciously. They whispered amongst themselves, shooting her the odd distasteful glance before they continued to whisper beyond themselves.

"Sorry!" Dora said instinctively as she bumped into the elf who had stopped in front of her.

"Miss does not need to apologise!" the elf gasped "It was Tilly's fault, Tilly should have warned Miss Dora we were here before she stopped so suddenly—and with Miss Dora's clumsiness."

"I'm not that clumsy." Dora frowned.

"Sorry, Miss Dora!" The elf whimpered, bowing her head deeply, "Tilly spoke out of term, Tilly apologises. I—"

"Tilly." Bellatrix hissed as she opened the door in front of them. "I told you to bring my niece to me, not stand out here making conversation."

"Tilly is sorry, Tilly will iron her hands."

"Whatever, I don't care. Get in here—both of you." Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Stupid elf . . . You don't have an elf, do you?"

"No . . ." Dora replied, watching the elf murmur in obedience as she shuffled into the room beside her.

"I suppose procuring a house elf is a little out of her budget nowadays." Bella smirked.

"Well she says she doesn't like them, the house we live in isn't that big anyway—you saw it—she doesn't reckon we need a house elf." Dora shrugged, watching her Aunt close the door behind her, "Though that's probably the real reason, money."

"Well, she got away with enough heirlooms to afford something better than that hovel if you ask me." Bellatrix scoffed.

"She stole from her family?" Dora frowned.

"Now is not the time for such discussions, Nymphadora." Bellatrix sighed, "Now is the time to learn."

"Right." Dora nodded. She looked around the room for the first time. It was unlike the other rooms she had seen in the manor, there were few furnishings in the room, the walls and floor both covered in dark oak, Dora couldn't help but notice the odd scorch mark here and there though her gaze soon snapped back to her Aunt as she waved her wand to place wards on the room.

"Wouldn't want Rodolphus to have unexpected visitors hearing us." Bella smiled all too sweetly at the girl before she nodded to Tilly, who immediately moved to the centre of the room. "This is my training room, Dora."

Nymphadora held back her questions as to why her Aunt had a training room, though she didn't dare think what a Death Eater training room could be used for. She simply nodded to her Aunt, to her surprise she simply giggled at her. "What?" Dora asked.

"You need to learn Occlumency." Bellatrix laughed.

"Y—You know legilimency?" Dora asked, now blushing furiously.

"A little." Bellatrix smirked, "Though that's not today's lesson—though perhaps a good lesson to at least touch on before you leave here. I wouldn't want certain nosey Professors of yours poking around in that mind of yours." Bellatrix shrugged, though carried on before her niece tried to ask the question of what Professors knew legilimency, "Have you heard of the unforgivable curses, Nymphadora?"

"Yes." Dora swallowed, her eyes flickering to the ever nervous looking house elf.

"Tell me what you know."

"They're illegal."

"Obviously." Bellatrix sniggered, "What else?"

"Well, there's three of them." Dora said carefully, thinking back to the text books she had read in the library, "There's the Imperius curse, that forces people to do what you want them to, then there's the Cruciatus," she looked down, feigning concentration as her Aunt gave an excited smirk, "th—that causes intense pain—the torture curse . . . and then there's the killing curse—that's self-explanatory I suppose."

"It is." Bellatrix agreed, drawing her wand. "Though we won't be learning that last one today. As useless as Tilly can be Rodolphus may get upset if he has to source another elf. Again." Dora bit her lip as Tilly whimpered on the spot, clearly wanting to be anywhere but there in that moment. "Let's start with the Imperius shall we? I take it you have not seen it used before?" Dora shook her head, "Well, it can be rather amusing—and useful. Though not my favourite, Rodolphus does seem to have a particular aptitude for it though . . ." Bellatrix pondered for a moment before she pointed her wand at the elf. " _Imperio_."

Nymphadora watched with fascination, the elf suddenly calming as it looked to her Aunt with a glassed over gaze. Without a word the elf began to dance, something that after a few moments Dora' couldn't help but laugh at once it started doing back flips. Bellatrix looked to the girl with amusement for a moment before she lifted the spell. Tilly immediately fell to the floor, panting for breath.

"You can fight the imperius," Bellatrix said matter of factly, "It has no ill side-affects apart from controlling you, I don't use it too often though it is very handy to know how to do . . . and how to fight it off."

"How do you fight it off?" Dora asked, wrenching her eyes from the elf on the floor.

"It's in your mind, Dora." Bellatrix mused, twirling her wand in her fingers for a moment before she pointed her wand at the girl, Dora's eyes widening in sudden fright. "I'll show you—don't be scared, I'm not going to make you do anything do silly. _Imperio_."

Instant calm flooded over Nymphadora, her whole body relaxing as she watched her Aunt walk slowly towards her. _Tel me your family vault number . . ._ Her Aunt's voice sounded in her head, such a soothing sound she couldn't help but immediately respond "709." Her voice sounded distant in her mind, though she gladly spoke for her Aunt. _Go sit down . . . On the seat in the corner . . ._ Dora walked over immediately, not beginning to question the command as she sat in the rigid chair in the corner. She gasped as suddenly the calm feeling left her. She knew her Aunt had left her mind, her entire face blushing bright pink as her Aunt laughed.

"You didn't even try to fight it." Bellatrix stated.

"I—I didn't know you wanted me to . . . It was . . . it surprised me." Dora stuttered.

"Yes, though you can see why the Ministry wouldn't want us performing such spells?" Bella sighed, "Violation of free will and what not. I'll teach you how to break free of it one day—perhaps have Rodolphus demonstrate, he doesn't manage to be held under for very long. Shame really." Dora didn't dare ask why she had attempted to put her husband under the imperius curse, simply standing from her chair again as her Aunt turned back to her elf. "I take it you've experienced the Cruciatus or a light version of it?"

"No." Dora frowned, "Why would someone do that to me?"

"Well . . ." Bellatrix frowned back at the girl for a moment before she shook her head, pointing her wand at the elf again, "your mother was raised with it, our parents would use it for discipline at times."

"That's awful." Dora spluttered.

"That's life—though it isn't an uncommon form of discipline in Pureblood households, even if it is lightly done." Bellatrix said, "It's my speciality. Watch. _Crucio_!" The poor elf screamed instantly, writhing on the floor as it immediately began to claw at its skin. Bellatrix let out a small giggle before she eventually released the curse.

Dora stared at the elf, her heart beating fast in her chest as she let go the breath she didn't know she was holding. "I-Is she okay?" she breathed.

"She's an elf." Bellatrix spat, raising an eyebrow at her niece before with a sigh she looked to the elf slowly getting to her feet. "You're fine, aren't you Tilly?"

"T-Tilly is fine, Misstress." Tilly nodded, though she did not look fine as she stood shaking on the spot.

"See?" Bellatrix said, walking over to her niece and stroking the white strands of hair out of her face. "You wanted to know these things, did you not, Dora? Wanted me to teach you? Though if you cannot handle it just tell me and I'll stop, of course. You are still young . . ."

"No!" Dora shook her head, forcing her hair to black. "I'm not too young, I want to learn."

"Good, then I'll teach you." Bellatrix smirked. "The Cruciatus. Though to truly understand the curse . . . I believe you have to experience it for yourself." Bellatrix feigned concern, "I don't want to hurt you though, I'm not sure you could handle that quite yet."

"I-I'm capable." Dora said though she regretted her insistent need to prove herself to her Aunt.

"Well . . . If you're sure." Bellatrix sighed, "Do you trust me, Nymphadora?" Dora swallowed hard, biting hard on her lip as her Aunt placed a reassuring hand on her arm as she slyly pointed her wand at the girl's stomach. "Good . . . _Crucio_."

Dora tried to hold in her scream, though as the feeling of razor blades running under her skin intensified she couldn't hold it in. Her blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the room, she fell to the floor, her Aunt dropping in front of her as she pulled her into herself mercifully releasing the spell.

"Shhh, pet." Bellatrix cooed, stroking the girl's hair as she held her close. Dora panted for breath, instantly gripping onto her Aunt as she buried her head in her hair. "It's okay. Here . . ." Bella ran her wand down the girl's spine, a slight relief flowing through the girl as she relaxed into her Aunt slightly. They sat on the floor for a few moments before Bellatrix pulled back, wiping away the tears that had fallen down Dora's cheeks as she gave her a look of concern. "Do you want to stop for the day?"

Dora hesitated for a moment before she shook her head, "Y-You said you would teach me. I have to learn, right? I can handle it."

"Of course you can, Dora." Bellatrix held back her smirk, squeezing the fourteen-year-olds hand, "I have every hope in you."

* * *

Nymphadora was in the grounds of the Manor, diving to the floor as she couldn't reflect her Aunts hex fast enough.

"Come on, Nymphadora." Bellatrix called, "You can do better than that; I _know_ you can do better than that."

"Sorry." Dora mumbled as she rose from the floor, groaning as she realised she now had a great dirt stain on her dress.

"Don't apologise." Bellatrix said, "Just do better."

"I will." Dora nodded, getting ready to duel her Aunt again. She knew her Aunt was barely trying with her, she highly doubted that she could last more than her usual five minutes against a Death Eater if they were truly trying. Though she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

"Bellatrix." Rodolphus called out as he approached the pair from the manor. "Your father is here." His eyes barely passed the young metamorphmagus before he gave his wife a look Dora couldn't quite see.

"Ergh," Bellatrix made a face, " _Why?_ "

"How should I know? He said he wanted to see you, I told him you were in the grounds—" his gaze wandered over Nymphadora for a moment, the girl now stood awkwardly holding her wand at her side, "—tending to _things_."

"And he believed you?" Bellatrix scoffed, "I'm not going to see him, tell him to go away—Oh for merlin's sake."

Bellatrix strode forward, gently pushing Nymphadora towards Rodolphus as she saw her father walking down from the manor. The teenager blushed as she bumped into the man, decidedly ignoring him wrinkling his nose at her as she mumbled an apology.

"Bellatrix." Cygnus Black stopped as his daughter reached him, smirking as she couldn't contain her glare at his arrival.

"Father, _dearest_." Bellatrix curled her lip, narrowing her eyes at her father, "What are you doing here?"

"Entertaining children for guests?" Cygnus raised an eyebrow, looking at the young girl next to Rodolphus curiously for a moment. "Who's child is that . . . ? And why does she have pink hair . . .?"

"Did you come here for something?" Bellatrix asked, "Or did you simply come here to annoy me with your presence?"

"Now now, Bellatrix." Cygnus ignored the woman trying to stop him from passing her as he walked over to the girl. "And what's your name?"

Dora looked to the man now staring down at her, she could instantly tell that she was related to him. His dark eyes were identical to her Aunts and her own, his dark hair flecked with grey pulled back into a ribbon, even his nose looked exactly like her mothers. Her Aunt walked up behind him, glaring at his back.

"Dora . . ." Dora said hesitantly.

"Dora?" Cygnus repeated.

"Nymphadora." Rodolphus added.

"Nymphadora . . ." Cygnus pondered for a moment "You have . . . interesting hair, Nymphadora."

Bellatrix looked at the girl, her gaze softening slightly, "Change it."

Dora didn't hesitate, screwing her eyes shut as she felt her short pink curls turn longer and into a dark brown. As she opened her eyes again she noted the look of surprise on her Grandfather's features.

"Well," Cygnus marvelled, "don't you look like your mother."

"A little, I suppose." Bellatrix sighed, "More Black in her."

"Better than the alternative." Cygnus spat. "Having a catch up with your _niece_ , Bellatrix?"

"Yes." Bellatrix said shortly, "Did you want something, Father?"

"Yes . . ." Cygnus tore his gaze away from his granddaughter, "Come, Bellatrix. This is a conversation I would prefer to have in private."

The man walked back towards the manor, not looking back as his daughter poked her tongue out at him. Dora bit back a giggle, her Aunt gave her a wink before following the man in. It was only as they closed the doors to the manor behind them that Dora realised that she was alone with her Uncle for the first time.

"So . . ." Dora said, crossing her arms as she bounced on her feet awkwardly, "That's my Grandfather?"

"Yes." Rodolphus said, looking at the girl for a moment before he rolled his eyes, "Duel?"

"W-What?" Dora stuttered.

"Do you want to duel?" Rodolphus repeated more slowly, "That was what your Aunt was doing, wasn't it?"

"I-Yeah." Dora nodded.

"Well, it seems like a good idea to remain out here until Cygnus has gone." Rodolphus took a few steps away from the girl before he assumed a duelling stance, "Don't worry, I won't try very hard."

* * *

"What is she doing here?" Cygnus demanded as they entered the day room.

"I invited her here." Bellatrix said, walking over to sit on one of the armchairs.

"You invited a half-blood into your home?" Cygnus spluttered as his daughter nodded, "And Rodolphus is okay with this?" Bellatrix nodded again, ". . . Does Andromeda know she is here?"

"No," Bellatrix scoffed, "like she would ever approve of me being around the girl."

Cygnus gave his daughter a careful look as he approached her, "I should disown you."

"Oh really, father." Bellatrix laughed, "You could I suppose, but you won't. Think of the shame of having two disowned children. Oh, you would be a laughing stock." She pouted at her father's glare, "I'm not a Black anymore, am I? I'm a Lestrange, is it really worth explaining to the Lestrange family?"

The man glared at the woman, furious at her as he tried to stop himself from simply cursing her. To his greater annoyance, she simply got to her feet, smirking at him as they were barely arm's length apart. "What are you planning, Bellatrix?"

"You saw her power." Bellatrix smiled coyly, "Her blood can be overlooked if you see the power that girl can bring—it's not just her hair she can morph—she can change anything she wants, _be_ anyone she wants. Think of the advantages that could bring to our family."

"To our family?" Cygnus asked, "Do not lie to me, woman. If you wish to harness her power and use her for your advantages it is not for _our family_. You forget yourself. I _know_ what you were, what you _still_ are. This is some plan for your Dark Lord, isn't it?"

Bellatrix grinned mischievously for a moment before she huffed in laughter, "She has her benefits for multiple causes, I suppose."

"She cannot be associated with us," Cygnus spat, "not whilst she still associates with her bitch of a mother and that scum of an excuse of a man, not whilst she lives under their roof."

"Well, she's under _my roof_ at the moment, isn't she?" Bellatrix smirks. "Give it time, I'm not about to parade her out to some mundane high society event, am I? Merlin knows they bore me enough, it would hardly be appealing to her—though she does seem far more fascinated by the grandeur of it all than I ever was."

"Well, you were always a petulant little bitch." Cygnus snorted.

"Why thank you for your kind words." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Now did you come here for something or did you simply come here to grace my manor with your _delightful_ presence?"

"Your mother is sick." Cygnus said, "I do not expect you to care, nor do I expect you to visit her, though she will likely not survive the year."

"Oh, what a shame." Bellatrix's voice dripped with sarcasm, "Do let me know when the bitch finally stops breathing so I can come check she's actually gone. I'll even help arrange the party—sorry, the wake. So sad."

"I rue the day your mother gave birth to you." Cygnus growled.

"No, you don't." Bellatrix hissed, "You would have gotten bored with no-one else to hurt."

"You had sisters."

"Like you would have touched them," Bellatrix sneered, "as much as you threatened it they were far too 'perfect' in your eyes. Well, look at where sweet little Dromeda is now." She stormed across the room, holding open the door for her father "Get out and let me know when I have a grave to dance on."

He rolled his eyes, walking over to his daughter as he paused mere inches from her. "I will be having words with your husband, he shall expect my owl." He reached out, placing a hand on his daughters hip as she froze under his touch, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Keep the girl hidden, Bellatrix . . ."

Bellatrix didn't say a word, waiting for the sound of her father's footsteps to disappear down the corridor until she looked up from the floor. She caught her reflection in the mirror, her dark eyes seething with hatred and disgust at Cygnus Black. Of course, she would keep the girl hidden, now was not the right time to let anyone know of her connection to her. Not whilst the girl remained in her parents home, that was.

* * *


	12. Crucio

Nymphadora had never been very liked at school. She was unsure of the exact cause, whether it be her blood that was clearly not pure enough for most of her Slytherin cohorts, what her Dad called her 'larger than life' personality that could be intimidating, her 'unique' choice of hair colours, envy at her excellent Transfiguration grades—perhaps it was a mixture of it all, perhaps it was none of it. Either way, Nymphadora was beyond caring. She had now dealt with nearly five and a half years of it, there were a few people who would make polite conversation with her or even seek her company every once in a while. Her Aunt had warned her to be wary of people though, they could befriend her to use her powers to their advantage. It was a warning her mother had given her many times in the past, though her Aunt was different, she clearly trusted Nymphadora's judgement in such people.

She slung her satchel over her shoulder as she took the first opportunity to leave her Defence Against the Dark Arts class when the Professor dismissed them. It was the last lesson of the day and her Aunt had promised her that she would talk to her on her two-way mirror tonight. There was a particularly difficult essay about Inferi due that Bellatrix had assured her she would go over with her. Dora did appreciate her Aunts extensive knowledge of the Dark Arts, something that she had been slowly bestowing upon herself. It always amused her slightly when her Aunt went on about how she saw no use for _defence against_ the Dark Arts, that Dora clearly benefited more from her own teachings.

Dora was soon snapped from her thoughts though as collided with someone down the secret passageway to the Slytherin common room. With a muttered apology, she leant down to pick up her book, though soon sighed in annoyance as it went sliding away from her with a hex.

" _Tonks_."

"Rosier." Dora rolled her eyes, looking at the girl before her, "How can I help you?"

"You hexed me." She hissed.

"Yes, Ebony." Dora replied, "That was the point. We were in class. I can't help it if you can't grasp the concept of silent spells enough to pull up a shield. Now if you'll excuse me, you're in my way." Dora silently summoned her book, raising an eyebrow at the girls "See, _silent_ spells."

"You think you're _so clever_." Ebony hissed. "You and your 'perfect grades'—you're probably fucking the professor."

"No, I simply work hard, I know that is a concept that is difficult for you to understand. Though thank you for sharing how you plan to survive your N.E.W.T exams—Hey!" Dora winced as Ebony grabbed her and threw her against the wall.

"Insolent little bitch!" she hissed, "You're pathetic! You waltz around like you own the place—"

"I do not!" Dora glared, feeling her hair turning a bright red.

"Shut up!" Ebony screeched, "You think you're so special! The truth is no-one cares about you! No-one wants to be your friend! You're a half-blood piece of freakish scum, your mother is a blood traitor whore, your father is a _mudblood_ —your kind doesn't belong here. Your whole family is a disgrace."

"You do realise that we're related, Rosier?" Dora sighed, "My Grandmother was a Rosier, therefore we're distantly related."

"I am not related to any such scum as you!" Ebony growled, "You wouldn't last five seconds around _any_ of your mother's _previous_ family. They would kill you sooner than call you a relation of theirs."

Dora growled in annoyance, kneeing the girl in the stomach to shove her away from her before she pushed her to the floor. "Get the hell off of me, you don't know anything about me."

"How dare you!" Ebony screeched.

"Piss off." Dora seethed, storming past the girl, though with a sudden hiss of pain she stopped and turned back to the girl on the floor. "Did you just throw a hex at me?"

"So, what if I did?" Ebony glared.

"You—You—"

"What are you going to do about it?" Ebony sneered, pulling herself to her feet. "You wouldn't dare—You have as much daring in you as a flobberworm."

Dora saw red. It was a step too far, she was strong, she was powerful and she was not about to let an annoying little girl like Ebony Rosier get the better of her. Looking back on what happened next, she was probably letting her 'Black anger' show through. She pointed her wand at the girl, then with all her might, she focused on the curse her Aunt favoured most. She was screaming, writhing on the floor, grasping at her robes in a desperate attempt for relief. She didn't hear her name yelled, though when a hand grasped onto her shoulder to pull her away she instantly stopped, panting in her fury.

"Dora, what the hell are you doing?" Gibbon asked, going over to the girl on the floor.

"She cursed me! She-She used an unforgivable!" Ebony whimpered.

"Dora?" Gibbon looked to the girl with shocked accusation.

"I—I—I need to go." She ran.

She ran down the corridor, down to the dungeons, screamed the password at the portrait, ignored the confused looks of the few Slytherins in the common room as she almost fell flat on her face and slammed the door of her dormitory behind her. She ripped open the draw to her bedside table, grabbing her two-way mirror, jumping on the bed and hastily closing the curtains of her bed closed as she brought up privacy wards.

"Bellatrix Lestrange!" She yelled at the mirror. She tried to control her breathing, suddenly aware that her brow was wet with sweat, her hair was pure white and she generally looked like she had just seen a ghost.

Her Aunt appeared in her mirror, the dark-haired witch not paying attention to the glass as she had clearly placed it next to her own dressing table mirror whilst she put on her make-up. "Really Dora," Bellatrix sighed with an air of annoyance, "I expected you at least five minutes ago, I do have places to go tonight—as much as I adore talking to you—Rodolphus is already rushing me. Have you got your ess—" Bellatrix frowned as she finally looked to the two-way mirror, putting down her mascara as she picked the mirror up. "What's happened?"

"I messed up." Dora panted, "I got angry and-and—It was Rosier's fault! She made me do it!"

"What did you do?" Bellatrix asked carefully.

"I—I used an unforgivable." Dora spluttered.

A sound of glass smashing and hurried footsteps came from her Aunt's side of the mirror, the woman hissing as she shot a glare at the other occupant of her room before she calmed her gaze to look back to her niece. "Nymphadora . . . _What_ unforgivable?"

"The C-Cruciatus." Dora winced.

"On the Rosier girl? Ebony Rosier?" Bellatrix let out a small breath as Dora nodded in reply, "Were you caught?"

"G-Gibbon walked in, he stopped me but I ran off—I know you said not to use them at school. I'm sorry!" Dora pleaded, "I swear I'll never do it again! Ebony said horrible things and I just got so _angry_! She hexed me! She dared me to retaliate—near enough! _She deserved it!_ But I broke the law on school grounds and Gibbon saw and even though I didn't _say_ the curse it's not exactly a subtle one, I'll get expelled! Aunt Bella, tell me what to do, I can't—I—My Mum— _Shit!_ "

"Calm down." Bellatrix spoke firmly, waiting for the girl to take a few calming breaths before she carried on, "It will be okay. They may not tell anyone, for starters."

"She will! She said I don't even belong at Hogwarts, she'll jump at any excuse to get me expelled!" Dora groaned "She's going to get me thrown in Azkaban."

"Don't be stupid." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "She can't get you thrown in Azkaban, Merlin knows I used it enough at school and got away with it."

" _Bellatrix._ " Her Uncles voice sounded from the mirror, hissing, "Don't encourage it, if—"

"Shush!" Bellatrix snapped at him, "Dora, you will be fine."

"But what if I'm not?" Dora asked, "What if she tells a teacher? What if she tells Dumbledore! What if my mother finds out!? What if—"

"Stop worrying about 'what ifs' and worry about now." Bellatrix interjected, "Go have dinner."

" _What!?_ "

"Go have dinner." Bellatrix repeated more slowly, "Morph the white out of your hair, calm yourself and go to the Great Hall. You need to act as normally as possible, divert suspicion. If the Rosier or Gibbon report you then you act dumb. Say you did throw a curse at her, but not an unforgivable of course, she hexed you first. That's all that matters, you tell as much as the truth as possible though lie about that detail. The mere idea of knowing how to perform an unforgivable curse must be shocking to you—unthinkable. I've taught you Occlumency, so use it."

"And what if they don't believe it?" Dora asked, much calmer now that her Aunt was helping her, "What if the fact that I used an unforgivable is undeniable?"

"Well . . . _Rodolphus_!" Bellatrix hissed as the mirror was twisted in her hand so that he could be seen within the glass.

"If that happens, you _did not_ learn it from us, understood?" Rodolphus spoke firmly, "There are books in the restricted section, _Secrets of the Darkest Art_ , _Magick Moste Evile_ , they both reference the theoretical side of performing a Cruciatus curse, you learnt it from there. You got angry and didn't realise what you were doing. Understood? . . . _Understood?_ "

"Y-Yes." Dora nodded shakily.

"Dora," Bellatrix said, pulling the mirror away from her husband as it was only her own face in the mirror again, "you will be fine. Now go, do as I told you. Call for me in the mirror again tomorrow, okay? But be careful."

Dora nodded again, muttering agreement to her Aunt. She put the mirror down as the woman faded from view. She would be okay, she wouldn't get expelled or thrown into Azkaban. So long as she could do as her Aunt told her.

* * *

"I knew this was a bad idea from the start, Bellatrix!" Rodolphus snapped, now pacing the room as Bellatrix continued to put her makeup on as if her Niece had not just told her she had broken the law. She was seemingly already bored with the whole affair. "Bellatrix!"

"What?" Bellatrix sighed.

"Why are you just sitting there, pay attention Bellatrix, this is important."

Bellatrix finished putting on her lipstick before she slowly placed the lid back on, placing it back on the table before she slowly turned to her husband with her hands clasped in her lap. "Really, Rodolphus, if you want me to actually be ready to go to this Merlin forsaken event I do need to actually finish getting ready."

"This is serious, Bellatrix." Rodolphus growled, "You shouldn't have gone anywhere near that half-blood in the first place—I shouldn't have let you. Now she's going to be found out for using an illegal spell that _you_ taught her and we will suffer for it."

"We taught her." Bellatrix smirked, returning to her mirror as she began to pull her hair into place, "You said she didn't learn it from 'us' Rodolphus."

Rodolphus let out a yell of anger, storming over to his wife and grabbing her chin harshly as he forced her to look up at him, "This is all your fault, Bellatrix and if we're found out through her—"

"We won't be found out," Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the man, "I have trained her well enough to keep her mouth shut. Come on, Roddy." Bellatrix sighed, reaching out for the hand that was currently still gripping onto her chin. "You remember school, we used unforgivables all the time. No-one dared to mess with us. We had a few close shaves but we were always fine, weren't we?" Bella grinned mischievously, snaking an arm around the man's waist, "Remember the time we got hold of Tonks? We got caught with that one and we were okay."

"Your sister walking in on us does not count." Rodolphus said.

"Well, it was amusing." Bella sighed, gently pulling her husband's grip from her chin as she kissed his fingers. "Come now, Roddy. She won't talk—I doubt she'll even get into much trouble."

"You better be right." Rodolphus growled as he pulled his wife closer to himself.

"I'm always right." Bellatrix purred, pressing her lips against his own as she kissed him passionately. She pulled away just as he wrapped both of his arms around her. She smirked mischievously as she returned to finish her hair. "Come on, we're going to be late."

* * *

It wasn't the first time she had been called to the headmaster's office, an unfortunate incident where she had been caught morphed into Professor Snape trying to get into his potions supplies when she thought he was at dinner had landed here before. Though she had a distinct feeling she would not be getting away with merely scrubbing cauldrons for a fortnight in this instance. She stopped before she knocked on the door of the headmaster, screwing her eyes shut to morph her hair to a more innocent-seeming pale blonde whilst trying to morph some more colour into her cheeks. She took one deep breath and knocked on the door, waiting for Albus Dumbledore to call out to her before she carefully opened the door.

"Professor—Dad, _Mum_?" Dora gawped.

"Miss Tonks," Dumbledore gestured to the empty chair beside her mother, "thank you for joining us, I do hope you had a chance to finish your dinner."

"Yes . . . thanks." Dora said carefully, slipping into her seat. Her mother sat prim and proper beside her, an emotionless mask across her features as she looked forward to the headmaster. Her father was easier to read, he looked slightly confused. This was it, she was done for. It took more courage than she dared admit to look to the man herself. "I—Can I ask why my parents are here?"

Professor Dumbledore smiled sadly, looking over his glasses at the girl for a few moments "Miss Tonks, I have just been back from the hospital wing. You see, I was on my way down to the grounds of the school for a stroll when I ran into Professor Snape. He informed me that he was on his way to fetch you as on his way to his own office he had encountered Miss Rosier and Mr Gibbon. Miss Rosier claims that you used the Cruciatus Curse on her."

"What?" Dora feigned confusion, bringing up every last ounce of skill she had ever gained from Occlumency. "The Cruciatus?"

"My daughter does not know the Cruciatus Curse, Headmaster." Andromeda said plainly, though from the corner of her eye Dora could see her mothers grip on the arm of her chair had tightened.

"I know it seems shocking, Mrs Tonks." Dumbledore said in his usual calm and soft voice. "I am simply repeating what Miss Rosier claims."

"Dora is not the sort of kid to break the law." Ted spoke up, shaking his head in disbelief. "She _wouldn't_."

"You have the evidence of a child's words, Professor Dumbledore." Andromeda said, "There is no evidence for a short-lived Cruciatus, Miss Rosier probably knows this and is trying to frame my daughter. She has had difficulties making friends since she started at this school and I would bet good money that girl made this story up to try and get my daughter into trouble. Her and young Mr Gibbon are probably working together with some clever trick to try and get her expelled."

"Mr Gibbon does not support Miss Rosier's story." Dumbledore said.

"So why are we here?" Ted asked, "I'm sorry Professor but this all seems ridiculous."

"Quite." Andromeda said, Nymphadora watching her mother discreetly slip her hand onto her father's lap, a clear sign that she wanted to deal with this alone. It wasn't the first time she had seen her use that small gesture in front of people. She silently wondered if her mother knew how similar she was to her sister when she put on this small façade in public.

"Mr Gibbon claims that Nymphadora simply hexed the girl." Dumbledore smiled sadly at Andromeda, "Though you are correct that I cannot prove that your daughter used an unforgivable curse on Miss Rosier—perhaps I could check to see the last spell on her wand—" Dora's heart skipped a bit, forcing herself to keep a straight face, "she is a smart girl, I'm sure she would have used more spells after to bury the trace of it. But hexing classmates in the hallways and putting them in the hospital wing is against the rules, nonetheless."

"We will deal with her." Andromeda nodded, before looking to her daughter, the girl faltered in her charade of being unafraid for a flicker of a moment as her mum gave her _that look_. "You will not be staying at Hogwarts for Christmas this year, you can come home for once."

Dora nodded, not even thinking about her disappointment in not being able to spend Christmas at Lestrange manor as she simply took in the relief of not getting expelled. Though that relief was overshadowed by the overwhelming feeling that she was going to get in when she got home. Though at least that wasn't for a couple of days.

"Shall we take her now?" Andromeda asked the headmaster. "There's only . . . one more day of lessons? Perhaps it is best anyway, give both Nymphadora and the Rosier girl time to cool down."

"I see no problem with that." Dumbledore agreed before looking over his spectacles at the young Slytherin. "We will see you again after the holiday's Nymphadora. Would you like for me to escort you to the Slytherin common room for her things, Mr and Mrs Tonks?"

"No, thank you." Andromeda forced a sweet smile, standing up from her seat and gesturing for Nymphadora to join her. "Ted, why don't you meet us at home, I can help Nymphadora with her things."

"If you're sure . . ." Ted sighed after a moment, waiting for Dumbledore to stand before he shook his hand, "Thank you, sir." He turned to Andromeda, kissing her cheek, "I'll see you two at home."

Nymphadora watched as her father disappeared through the fire, though was hardly surprised as her mother placed a hand on her shoulder and led her from the office without another word. They walked the halls in silence on their way to the dungeons, the sixteen-year-old struggling to keep up with her mothers strong and steady stride.

"You don't like Professor Dumbledore, do you?" Nymphadora couldn't help but ask, wincing as Andromeda's eye twitched slightly at her daughter's words.

"I suggest you don't speak to me until we get home, Nymphadora." Andromeda said, the coolness in her tone so deceivingly calm.

Dora nodded, they didn't speak. They didn't speak as they reached the common room, they didn't speak as they went into her dorm room, they only words they exchanged were once Andromeda asked if her daughter had finished packing. After she replied after a few minutes she took her from the castle, outside of the grounds where she grabbed her arm firmly and disapparated outside of the Tonks household.

Andromeda flicked her wand, sending her daughter's case through the front door and up to her room before leading her into the living room.

"Mum I didn't—Get off me!" Nymphadora shrieked as Andromeda grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look into her eyes.

"Did you use the Cruciatus curse?" Andromeda demanded.

"Mum I don't know h—"

"Did you use it!?" Andromeda asked again.

"Andromeda—" Ted froze as his wife turned to glare at him.

"Get off!" Nymphadora yelled again, pushing her mother away from her.

Andromeda took a deep breath before she turned back to her daughter "When did you learn Occlumency, Nymphadora?"

"When did you learn legilimency?" Dora glared back at her mother, "How long have you been trying to read my thoughts?"

"I do not! This is an entirely different matter!" Andromeda yelled, "I need to know where you learnt that spell!"

"Why are you so adamant that I did it!?" Dora argued, "Dumbledore said Gibbon told him I hexed her!"

"I know when you're lying, Nymphadora." Andromeda glared, "You have a tell. You can't lie to me."

"That's what you think." Dora scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Andromeda asked, suddenly quietly serious.

"Nothing." Dora said quickly.

"Don't lie." Andromeda said. "That old crook Dumbledore might have pretended to believe you but that is all it is. He doesn't want a student expelled for such a thing, I've seen him do it before. He knows you used that curse just as much as I do. You cannot lie to me!"

Dora couldn't help but laugh, "Can't I? What do you care if I learned it somewhere or not?! You know it, don't you? All the pureblood families do, I'm not an idiot!"

"Who taught you it!?" Andromeda screamed at the girl.

"Books!" Nymphadora replied.

"You can't learn it just from a book, there's more to it than that."

"Maybe I'm just smarter than you." Nymphadora glared.

"It is not smart or clever to use that curse!"

"Dora, it's illegal." Ted murmured from the armchair he had sunken into.

"Oh is it!?" Dora asked sarcastically, crossing her arms as she looked to her mother with an accusing gaze, "And how many times did you break the law growing up Mummy dearest?"

The sound of Andromeda's hand colliding with her daughter's cheek echoed throughout the room. Both witches froze for a moment, neither one willing to say a word as Nymphadora stared ahead wide-eyed in shock. It seemed like silence hung in the air for minutes at the least before someone finally spoke again.

"Go to your room." Andromeda practically whispered, unable to look at her daughter anymore as she stared at the floor, "Come talk to me when you want to tell me something."

". . . I hate you." Dora croaked, blinking back the tears in her eyes as she ran up to her room.


	13. A Mother's Fear

"Andromeda?" Ted Tonks voice sounded distant the witch, still staring up at the doorway Nymphadora had left through. "Andromeda . . ." the woman jumped slightly as Ted placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head slightly as she turned to look at the man. "You're crying." Ted frowned in concern.

"I—" Andromeda shook her head again, lifting her hand up to wipe away the few tears that had fallen from her dark eyes.

"It's okay." Ted sighed, pulling the woman into his arms.

It was a moment before the witch let out a deep breath, bringing her arms up to embrace her husband as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I slapped our daughter."

"You did," Ted said, silently cursing himself as he wished he had some profound and comforting thing to say.

"I'm a monster." Andromeda sniffed.

"No," Ted spoke firmly this time, pulling back from his wife as he looked her straight in the eyes. "Nymphadora was out of order."

"I shouldn't have slapped her." Andromeda winced, "I swore I would never act that way with her."

Ted paused for a moment before he spoke again, as if almost hesitant to speak what he thought "She used it . . . right?" He winced as Andromeda gave a small nod, not looking at her husband as the disturbing thought went through her mind. "Who do you think taught her it?" Ted practically whispered.

"I don't know . . ." Andromeda sighed, moving to sit on the sofa as she ran her hands through her hair in thought. "Bellatrix . . . she learned it through books—the _basic parts of it_ through books—but she'd had it used on her a few times by father before." Ted nodded, sitting next to his wife, "She said you needed to understand how it felt, to know what pain you were putting your enemies through."

"You think someone used it on Dora?" Ted's eyes went wide at the thought.

"I don't know . . ." Andromeda said, "You can't learn it through just books, that much is true, you could possibly teach yourself. But to know it well enough at sixteen to be able to send a girl shivering to the hospital wing . . . someone helped her learn it. I'm sure of it."

"She'll tell us if she wants to." Ted sighed, "For now all that matters is that she used it . . . It isn't like our Dora to do something like that."

"She's changed," Andromeda said matter-of-factly.

"She used to be such a sweet child . . . Every Summer she comes back a little more . . . More . . ."

"More like a Black." Andromeda winced, "I don't know if it's being in Slytherin, maybe falling into the wrong crowd—or _trying_ to fit into the wrong crowd. She's acting like Bellatrix. She was harmless enough before she got to school—then she discovered the wrong crowd . . . She became the wrong crowd."

"I never remember your sister being anything like Nymphadora, Andromeda." Ted frowned.

"You only saw the cold, masked, representation of Bellatrix—the one she put on in front of everyone." Andromeda wrung her hands in her lap, leaning into her husband's side as he wrapped his arms around her. "She was different at home, different around Narcissa and I . . ."

"Nymphadora isn't Bellatrix," Ted assured his wife, pressing his lips to her light brown locks.

"No . . ." Andromeda agreed. "Maybe I should go apologise for slapping her . . . I didn't mean to, Ted."

"I know you didn't." Ted smiled sadly. "Though right now she's an angry sixteen-year-old who has just been sent to her bedroom when she should be in the Slytherin dormitory until the summer. Maybe leave her 'til morning?"

Andromeda hesitated for a moment before she nodded, making herself more comfortable in her husband's arms as she closed her eyes and tried not to think of her only daughter breaking the law and all that that could mean.

* * *

"And so your only real punishment was starting your Christmas break a little early?" Bellatrix asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Pretty much." Dora couldn't help but smirk slightly as she adjusted herself on her bed, propping her two-way mirror up on her pillows as she rested her head in her arms.

"Well, Dumbledore seems to be doing well with his punishments," Bellatrix spoke sarcastically.

"It was Mum's fault." Dora hissed, "If she hadn't opened her big mouth I'd be getting ready to spend Christmas with you and Uncle Rod."

"Yes I know," Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Your mother can be infuriating at times."

"All the time." Dora corrected.

"Yes." Bellatrix laughed.

"I'm not going to be able to see you for ages now." Dora groaned.

"Well, I can meet you in Hogsmeade on your first trip back." Bellatrix mused, "Though it isn't as favourable as having you here, I must admit. Perhaps this reinforces my little lesson about not using Unforgivable Curses at Hogwarts, hmm?"

"Sorry." Dora mumbled before scowling "Though she was lucky, I could have killed the bitch."

"Yes, well, that would have been much harder to explain." Bellatrix yawned, the witch was sat in her husband's study still dressed in her nightgown. Apparently, whatever affair her Aunt and Uncle had attended last night hadn't finished until the early hours of the morning. Rodolphus was still asleep when Dora called for her Aunt at ten o clock and it looked as if Bellatrix had only just that moment woken up herself.

"I could have hidden it." Dora shrugged.

"Like you hid the fact that you used the Cruciatus?" raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"I said I was sorry." Dora said, "How many times did you use that spell at school?"

"The Cruciatus?" Bellatrix smiled wistfully, "I lost count. Though I wasn't alone most of the time and clearly better at hiding it."

"Mum said you got caught."

"She said that?" Bellatrix asked.

"Well, she said she'd seen Dumbledore not want a student expelled over a Cruciatus before—so I put two and two together. It was you, right?"

"Perhaps." Bellatrix smirked, "Though—"

Both witches eyes darted to the direction of the bedroom door at the sound of the handle being touched. The next moment the door opened and as Nymphadora grabbed her mirror and shoved it under her pillow she watched her Aunt disappear from the glass.

"Have you not heard of knocking? You can't just barge in here!" Dora demanded of her mother as she stood up to face her. "Get out!"

"Well, it seems we're both doing things we 'can't' do at the moment, Nymphadora," Andromeda said as she looked around the room, drawing her wand. "Who were you talking to?"

"No-one! Get out!" Dora snapped.

"I heard you talking."

"So now you're spying on me as well as throwing accusations at me?" Dora's eyes flickered to her mother's wand. "What are you going to do with that, hmm?"

" _Homenum Revelio_."

" _Really_?" Dora crossed her arms as she glared at her mother, "There's _no-one here_."

"So, you were talking to yourself?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"You're mad." Nymphadora shook her head, yelling in frustration as Andromeda stopped her from walking past her, "Mum, I need to have a wash, brush my teeth, you know. Or are you going to let me stew in my own filth in here for the entirety of the holidays?"

Andromeda looked to the girl for a few moments, trying not to be hurt by the girl's look of anger and hatred. "Go, I'll get your laundry then come downstairs to eat something at least. I wouldn't want you to accuse me of attempting to starve you."

Nymphadora huffed in annoyance, brushing past her mother as she made her way down to the bathroom. Andromeda sighed, waiting for the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut before she walked over to her daughter's trunk. It was true, she did need to clean and organise whatever clothes Nymphadora had stuffed in her trunk in her rage the previous night—but that was not her main goal at this present moment in time. Andromeda Tonks had laid in bed restless the previous night, trying to figure out what was happening with her daughter. She had come to the conclusion that it has to be outside influences that were making her behave in such a way and had decided she must find out what these were sooner rather than later.

She made sure her daughter's door was closed behind her before she swept her gaze across the room. Dora's trunk was already open, clothes spilling out where she had pulled her pyjama's from within the night before, her bed was an unmade mess of blankets. Andromeda couldn't help but roll her eyes, Nymphadora always had a habit of trailing mess behind her wherever she went. Andromeda Tonks walked over to her daughter's bed, pocketing her wand as she pulled the sheets neatly in place on the bed. She paused when she felt something hard under the pillow. With a frown, she lifted the thing up, her heart stopping for a moment as she looked at the mirror beneath.

"No . . ." Andromeda whispered to herself, picking up the old silver framed thing as she turned it over in her hands. She knew this mirror, with its delicate patterns engraved around the edge of the frame and serpentine handle. As she turned the silver mirror over in her hands it felt as though she had been punched in the chest. There at the bottom of the mirror were the words ' _Toujours Pur_ '. This was _her mirror_.

She hadn't seen the thing for 17 years when she had left it on her bed in her childhood home. It had been a gift from her eldest sister, a set of three, given to her and her youngest sister on Bellatrix Black's wedding day. It was one of the few heartfelt gestures her sister had shown over the years, a way of communicating with each other when Bella had left Hogwarts and their childhood home. The only question that was spinning through Andromeda's mind now was _how_ her daughter had gotten it— _who_ she was talking to with it. Her first thought was Bellatrix, though after that all she could do was plead that it was Narcissa. Out of any of her former family (well, those of whom were alive and free) she would care the least about Narcissa talking to her daughter.

As she sat on the bed, trying to cope with the thousand panicked thoughts swirling through her mind she caught sight of her daughter's trunk again. With an urgency she didn't know she was capable of anymore she ran over and fell to her knees in front of it as she began to pull every last thing out. After pulling everything from dirty clothes to broken quills she found what she almost gave up. That was until she saw the cut in the fabric lining of her daughter's trunk. She cursed herself for not noticing it before as she slipped her hand into the lining, grasping onto the parchments within. With a quick glance around the room, she pulled them out. She didn't need to read the letters, she recognised the handwriting the moment she laid her eyes on it.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks came crashing down the stairs, her footsteps thundering through the whole of the house until she stormed into the living room. Her still wet hair was bright red, the dress she was wearing had clearly been hurriedly thrown on and her chest was heaving in her anger.

"What right have you got to go through my things!?" Nymphadora screeched at her mother. "Where's my mirror!?"

"My mirror . . ." Andromeda murmured from her seat on the couch, pulling her gaze from the pile of parchment in her lap as she tried to stop her tears flowing yet again. "That was my mirror before you were even a thought in my mind, Nymphadora."

Nymphadora didn't know what to say, staring at her mother for a moment before she spotted the letters in her lap. "W-What are you doing with those?"

"I found them in your trunk," Andromeda said. "How long have you been talking to her?"

"You have no right to read those letters." Dora snapped.

"This is serious, Nymphadora!" Andromeda cried, genuine fear in her voice as she stood from her seat. "She is a dangerous woman!"

"She is _not_." Dora laughed.

"This is not a joke." Andromeda said, "She could kill you in an instant, put you through things unimaginable to you."

"If she wanted to kill me I would have been dead years ago." Nymphadora scoffed.

" _Years?_ " Andromeda said, her eyes going wide in fright. "How long has this been going on for?"

"It doesn't matter—it's none of your business."

"It is totally my business!" Andromeda said, "She is a dangerous woman, capable of things that you can't even begin to imagine, she doesn't wish you well Nymphadora."

"That's ridiculous." Dora scoffed, "I know exactly what she's capable of—and if she didn't wish me well why would she give me Christmas and Birthday presents? Why would she send me sweets when I'm not well?"

"She's manipulating you." Andromeda near enough whispered, a look of terrified realisation coming over her face. "She wants to use you—for your powers. She's still set on her master returning and then you'll be the perfect moulded little servant."

"She wouldn't make me do anything I didn't want to do," Nymphadora yelled, outraged. "And don't put your stupid fears of people taking advantage of me onto me! That's not true! I'm not an idiot! Aunt Bella has warned me that people can be pulled to my powers since before I even went to school—the difference is _she_ trusts me with it."

" _Since before you were at school_?" Andromeda gasped, "Nymphadora can't you see what she's doing!? She's tricking you, making you believe that you're her best friend so that you will do all that she says. She doesn't care about you, she doesn't _love you._ She would never associate with anyone but a reputable pureblood unless they had fallen in agony at her feet by her wand."

"That's not true!" Nymphadora cried, "She does care and she doesn't care that I'm a half-blood! She told me so herself."

"She lies." Andromeda shook her head, tears in her eyes now as she pleaded with her daughter "Darling, I'm your mother, I wouldn't want anything but the best for you. I want you safe and happy and she won't do that for you. You're going to end up hurt—or worse."

"You don't know her, not like I do." Dora spat.

"She is my _sister_!" Andromeda yelled, clearly beyond frustration that her daughter was not listening to her. "I lived with her from when she was two until she got married and left when she was eighteen years old. I spent nearly every day of my childhood around her, if anyone doesn't know her here it is you, Nymphadora Tonks."

"She said you'd be a bitch about her." Dora scoffed. "Just because you left her doesn't mean that I can't see her."

"I _left her—_ I left all of my family—so that I could be with your father! So that I could have you! She tried to kill your father when I left, did she ever tell you that?" Andromeda said, trying not to become unnerved at the fact her daughter's bright red hair had turned into black curls so like her elder sister.

"You put a man before your family, that's not fair." Dora shrugged.

"You wouldn't have been born if I didn't do it!" Andromeda yelled in frustration, becoming furious at her daughter's clear idiocy in trusting her daughter. "Look what she's done to you, Dora! Did you even want to be in Slytherin, or did you ask the hat to put you elsewhere? I never figured you a Slytherin growing up—I was convinced you would follow your father to Hufflepuff." Andromeda ignored her daughter rolling her eyes at that remark. "She taught you the Cruciatus curse, didn't she? Is that all she taught you or did she show you the others too? Is this why you've turned into such an unruly child?"

"Unruly?" Dora snorted, ignoring the rest of her mother's questions. "Charming."

Andromeda yelled in fury, storming over to the girl and grabbing her by the shoulders as if she could shake some sense back into her young mind. "What has she done to you!? She's even got you acting like her! You're being just like she was at your age!"

"Really?" Dora winced at the tight grip on her arms, trying to pull away for a moment before giving up and glaring up at her mother. "Well, thanks. I'd sooner be like her than be a suffocating, overprotective, controlling bitch like you."

Andromeda froze, her daughter's words feeling like a stab straight to the chest. She couldn't get through to her, but she had to make her understand. She wasn't trying to be suffocating, overprotective or controlling of her only child. She just wanted her safe. She wanted her happy. Bellatrix Lestrange was sure to take both of those things away from her daughter one way or another.

"What?" Dora narrowed her eyes at her mother as she stared down at her, "Going to slap me again?"

Andromeda let go of her daughter, closing her eyes for a moment as she took a few deep breaths. Truth be told if she thought it would help in the slightest she would do far more than slap some sense into the girl. Instead, she shook her head, raising her hand as she summoned Dora's wand, ignoring the girls yell of protest.

"Go to your room," Andromeda whispered.

"I'm nearly seventeen, you can't send me to my room every day and force me to stay there." Dora protested.

"I can and I will." Andromeda said, her voice shaking slightly with her fear and anger, "Go to your room. I'm keeping your mirror. I don't want you talking to Bellatrix ever again."

"You can't do that!" Dora glared, furious as her hair tinged red yet again.

"This is for your own good. You'll thank me one day—when you're safe and happy and not dead in a ditch somewhere thanks to her." Andromeda argued, continuing to speak to cut off yet more protests from her daughter, "Go. To. Your. Room. I'm not arguing this."

Dora glared back at her mother, the girl could not remember ever seeing her mother look so angry, so serious and potentially frightening. If only she knew how much like her sister she looked in that moment. She didn't bother arguing, it was useless. She stormed up to her room knowing that she would not listen to her mother though. She was almost of legal age, her mother had no right to tell her who she could and could not speak to—especially when that involved her own flesh and blood. Bellatrix was her Aunt and she had every right to see her in her eyes.

The witch let out a scream of frustration as she slammed her bedroom door behind her, though she looked up the moment she heard her owl hoot in protest. The thing must have followed her from Hogwarts to currently perch just outside her bedroom window. Without thinking she ran to the window, opening it and pulling the owl inside.

"Shh!" Dora hissed, running to the pile of the contents of her trunk as she desperately searched for quill and parchment and grinning in triumph as she found it.

She wrote hurriedly, knowing her mother could think of the owl potentially returning or some other way of her communicating any minute. Though as quickly as she scribbled she poured all of her frustration onto that one sheet, her anger and annoyance of what her mother had said. How she wanted to run away and never return. How she was fed up with her mother and wished she would just go away and never bother her again. She wrote of her fear of what her mother could possibly try to do to keep them apart and told her Aunt every last detail of their fight. The ink was barely dry as she tied it to her owl's leg and sent it back into the cold December air. She watched it leave, waiting until it was a mere distant spec in the sky before she walked back over to her bed and fell onto her back. She didn't move for hours, refusing to leave her room and even to touch the lunch nor dinner that magically appeared on her nightstand later that day. She didn't move until the sun had set and she was listening to the muffled conversation of her parent's downstairs, probably her mother explaining the day's events to her father, that was when she heard the peck of an owls beak at her window. She let the owl in, taking the small strip of parchment off of the bird's leg before it immediately turned and flew back to its sender. She stared down at the familiar handwriting of her Aunt, unsure of what to think as she took in the only two words that were on that parchment . . . _'I'm coming.'_


	14. Sisters

Nymphadora had barely slept, merely dozing off for an hour or two by accident as she couldn't get her Aunt's short note out of her mind. She hadn't come yet. It had been late in the evening when she had received the letter and now it was nearly lunchtime the next day. Dora was going spare, still dressed in yesterday's clothes, she would have sent her owl to her Aunt again if she could find the bloody thing. She was starting to think her mother had found her poor pet and locked the thing away from her.

The girl was currently sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the breakfast still on her nightstand as she seriously considered breaking her hunger strike. It was at that moment that she heard the tap at her window. She shot to her feet, running over to the window so fast that she lost her balance and had to grab onto the edge to stop herself falling flat on her face. Dora frowned, she couldn't see anything, not an owl or anything. Though slowly a small pebble floated up to her eye line again, the girl staring wide-eyed as she watched it gently tap on the glass. It hovered for a moment before quick as a flash it flew down to the bottom of the garden. That's where Nymphadora saw her. Bellatrix Lestrange was stood with a smirk on her features, partially obscured by one of the hedges at the end of the garden. A grin split over the girls face as her Aunt nodded towards herself, motioning for her to come down.

Dora hesitated, she hadn't left her room in over a day apart from to use the bathroom, she did not want to raise her mother's suspicion. Bellatrix waved to her impatiently from the garden, making Dora bit her lip in her nerves before with a nod she made her way down to her Aunt. She slipped out of her room, looking both ways before she snuck down towards the staircase, biting hard on her lip as she heard her bedroom door swing shut behind her.

Andromeda was in her own room, the sound of the Wizarding Wireless Network just audible from Dora's position on the stairs. After a few moments she decided the coast was clear, quickly and quietly making her way down the stairs, through the house and out of the back door. Bellatrix looked like she was about to burst into a fit of giggles as Dora ran towards the woman, almost falling over as she looking back to the house to see if her mother had caught her.

"Dora," Bellatrix smirked in greeting, unable to help but laugh slightly as Nymphadora ran at her, hugging her tightly whilst pulling them both out of view of the house behind the hedges.

"Aunt Bella!" Dora forced buried her face in her Aunt's hair, hugging her tightly as her Aunt returned her embrace. "Mum didn't want me to see you again, she said horrible stuff about you, she—"

"Shhh," Bella murmured, pressing her lips to the girls head for a moment before she pulled away. "I know, that's why I'm here."

The girl looked up at her Aunt, slight confusion unable to be concealed on her young features as the older woman brushed the stray pink curls from her face. "What are you going to do? Talk to her? I hate her—I can't stand her anymore. She treats me like a child—I'm nearly seventeen."

"You don't have to deal with her anymore, Nymphadora," Bellatrix whispered, running her hand delicately down the girl's hair before resting her hand firmly on her shoulder. "Come with me." The girl's eyes went wide as she didn't know what to say, causing the pair to stand in silence for a moment before Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh. "Come live with me, you don't have to stay here anymore. There's a room for you at Lestrange Manor, always has been. You seemed so distressed in your letter," Bellatrix frowned, concern on her features "you said it yourself; you're almost seventeen. You shouldn't have to put up with such things. Your mother wasn't much older than you when she left home. I see no reason why you should stay here so unhappy. Unless you want to stay? Do you not want to live with Rodolphus and I? I'm just trying to do what's best for you, Nymphadora . . . Why are there tears in your eyes?"

"I—" Dora nodded vigorously, wiping her eyes. "I'm fine, I just—Yes. Yes, I want to come live with you."

"Good." Bellatrix grinned. "Let's go get your things."

Dora stumbled as she turned, watching her Aunt move up towards the house for a moment before she shook sense back into herself. She ran after the woman, grabbing onto her arm to stop her. "What are you doing?" Dora asked, panicking.

"Getting your things." Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the girl, shrugging her arm off of her.

"She won't just let me go, Aunt Bella." Dora shook her head, her eyes flickering from the house to her Aunt again, "Can't you just summon my things from here?"

"Nymphadora," Bellatrix said carefully, amusement glittering behind her dark eyes as she feigned a look of seriousness to the young girl, "I have a plan. Don't worry, you will be leaving with me no matter what. I know how to handle my little sister."

"I—Okay." Dora nodded.

With that the woman sped ahead to the house, Dora rushing after her as Bellatrix Lestrange swung open the door of the Tonks house. "Oh, _Andromeda_?" She called, her voice ringing out in an almost musical fashion, "Dromeda? Where are you?"

Nymphadora fell back into the door in shock as the loud crack of apparation reverberated against the walls. Andromeda Tonks had her wand drawn, both fear and anger filling her eyes as she glared at her elder sister, her chest heaving as she seemingly fought an internal battle to simply curse Bellatrix where she stood.

"Oh, Andromeda." Bellatrix pouted, cocking her head as she looked to her sister. "You were taught it was rude to apparate in your own home in such a way. Have you really forgotten so much of your teachings?"

"Get out of my home." Andromeda spat, her knuckles turning white on the tight grip of her wand.

"Nymphadora?" Bellatrix called to the girl behind her, waiting for her hum of acknowledgement before she carried on, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No." Dora shook her head, flinching slightly at the flash of hurt that crossed her mother's eyes.

"Well, there you are." Bellatrix shrugged, "This is Dora's home too, she _wants_ me here."

"Dora," Andromeda swallowed, closing her eyes for a moment before she looked past her sister to the young girl behind her. "Come here—Get away from her."

"She's not going to hurt me." Dora said, "I'm fine."

"Why would I hurt her?" Bellatrix frowned at her sister, "She's my niece. It's only your misguided mind that tried to keep me away from her. I care for her—I _trust_ her."

"You manipulated her!" Andromeda yelled, "What lies have you fed her to try to take her from me!?"

"She doesn't lie to me!" Dora cried back at the woman, "She trusts that I can know what I like, do as I want—she trusts that I can make informed decisions on my own!"

"So, informed decisions like using illegal spells at school!?"

"I told her _not_ to use them at school." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, reaching a hand up to rest on her niece's shoulder as she gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Though we all make mistakes, don't we Dromeda? You know those spells, I've watched you use them."

"In defence." Andromeda narrowed her eyes at the woman, ignoring the stare of her only child.

"Well, Nymphadora was defending herself—she was hexed first." Bellatrix said, "Did she tell you that? If you can use such spells in defence, can't she?"

"Dora?" Andromeda looked at her daughter, "Did Rosier hurt you?"

"It wouldn't matter to you if she did. You were too quick to scream at me rather than ask me what actually happened." Dora said, her eyes falling to the floor rather than look into her mother's eyes in that moment.

"Quick to judge." Bellatrix sighed.

"That's rich coming from you!" Andromeda yelled in response.

"Me?" Bellatrix gasped in mock offence.

"Yes, you!" Andromeda cried, "You are the most judgemental person I know."

"Well, that's a little harsh." Bellatrix bit back a smirk.

"You-!"

"Stop it!" Nymphadora cried, jumping in front of her Aunt as she stared the tip of her mother's wand, now directly pointed at the woman behind her.

"Nymphadora, how many times must I tell you?" Andromeda sighed, a pained look on her features, "She's not safe, you're not safe with her, you need to listen to me."

"I would never hurt my niece." Bellatrix scoffed, gently moving Nymphadora out of the way. The woman raised an eyebrow as she looked to her sister's wand.

"Mum . . . Stop it." Nymphadora said, more calmly this time. "I'm going to go with Aunt Bella, she said I can live with her."

"You can't," Andromeda stared in shock at her only child, "you are a child. You live with your parents."

"I seem to remember someone else deciding to leave their parents when they weren't much older than Nymphadora." Bellatrix mused.

"Bellatrix." Andromeda glared at her sister.

"No, it was you, not me." Bellatrix shrugged, smirking in amusement.

Nymphadora could not remember acting so quickly in her life; her mother barely got the first syllable of the spell she was about to scream at her sister out. Her Aunt had barely managed to draw her wand in retaliation. Dora had run at her mother, making her collide into the wall as grabbed her wand hand. Andromeda merely stared at her daughter, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide as she tried to comprehend what her daughter had just done. The young witches hair had turned bright red, her eyes nearly black she glared at her mother.

"I can make my own choices! I don't want to live here anymore! I want to go live with Aunt Bella and Uncle Rod." Dora cried, "They let me do what I want, they accept I make mistakes, they love me."

" _I_ love you . . ." Andromeda's voice was barely a whisper, tears were brimming her eyes and it took more strength that Nymphadora cared to admit to speak again.

"Then let me go."

The two women stared into each other's eyes, each silently pleading with the other. The room was silent for a good minute, Bellatrix watching the pair curiously as she wondered if she should say something to hurry the pair along. Eventually, Andromeda gave a small nod, barely noticeable as she relaxed slightly against the wall. With a deep breath Nymphadora stepped away from her mother, her face a mixture of relief and sorrow at her mother's clear pain as Bellatrix came and rested a hand on the girl's arm.

"Come on, Dora." Bellatrix said, "Let's get your things and leave."

"Nymphadora," Andromeda spoke calmly and clearly, stopping Dora in her tracks as she went to follow her Aunt's lead to her room.

"Yes?" Dora said, not caring that her mother had used her full name in that moment.

"You want to leave just as I did, correct?" Andromeda asked, her features void of emotion as she looked to her sister for a moment before she returned her gaze to her now dark-haired daughter. She waited for to nod before she carried on. "Well then, if you are totally certain that you wish to leave. Then you get the same terms I did. If you leave this house, you can never return—I'll put wards up against you the minute you leave. You will never see your father and I again, you live with Bellatrix and you stay there."

"I—" Dora bit her lip, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to think for a moment until her Aunt squeezed her arm reassuringly and she merely nodded. "Okay."

Andromeda couldn't help but let the smallest of cries out as her daughter walked off up the stairs, biting back her tears as she turned her back on her own mother.

"Well," Bellatrix smirked maliciously, "it seems the tables have turned, sister dear . . . How does it feel? Hurts, doesn't it?"

Andromeda glared at her sister, tears spilling freely down her cheeks now her daughter was out of sight. "You bitch. Is this what you wanted? To get back at me for leaving you?"

"Oh, Dromeda." Bellatrix pouted, walking up to her sister as she was surprised to see she barely flinched at her close proximity. She took a moment to look at the woman, she had changed since they had last met—well, their last meeting where they were both themselves. She reached up to wipe a tear from her sister's cheek, huffing in amusement as the younger witch flinched away from her touch. "Your sorrow is just an added benefit to me, love." Bellatrix grinned at her sister's glare, leaning into her as she kept her voice bellow a whisper, "Don't worry, I don't want to hurt her—she's no use that way. But she'll have fun, she'll be _happy_ —most of the time."

"Get. Out." Andromeda snarled through gritted teeth.

"Once I get Nymphadora's things." Bellatrix laughed, stepping away from her sister as she went to follow her niece up the stairs. "Oh and you really should redecorate, I was being sarcastic when I called your paintwork lovely last time—I thought you'd get the hint."

Bellatrix could imagine her sister's face, perhaps confusion though most definitely followed by a shocked realisation as to what she meant. The whole ordeal made her all the more amused by the situation. She wasn't surprised as when she reached Nymphadora's room she watched her once sister storm up the stairs behind her and past her, only to lock herself in her own bedroom. She sensed it as the woman put silencing wards up over the room, no doubt so her cries wouldn't be heard—well, that was what Bellatrix hoped at least. Let the whore get a taste of what she had done to her and her sister all those years ago. Nymphadora was throwing everything she could into her trunk when Bellatrix entered the room.

Bellatrix sighed as she drew her wand, "Do you want everything? I can get you new things, you know."

"I—" Dora stepped back from the trunk, crossing her arms as she looked to the floor clearly trying to hide her emotions from her Aunt. "I don't know what I want . . . I was just throwing everything in . . ."

"Well . . ." Bellatrix sighed again after a moment, flicking her wrist as she enchanted the girl's belongings to fly straight into her trunk. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she watched the girls wand fly in from outside of the room, grabbing it before it got to the trunk and placing it in her niece's hand. Like taking the girl's wand would have ever helped Andromeda. "We can figure out what to keep later."

"Yeah." Dora sniffed, pocketing her wand. She watched her trunk lock and close as the last of her belongings disappeared inside.

"Dora?" Bellatrix spoke softly, the girl not realising she was stood beside her until she felt her hand under her chin coaxing her to look up to her. "You did the right thing. She was never going to accept the fact that you can make your own choices, never let you be what you want to become. You'll be happy with Rodolphus and I, I promise."

Dora nodded, blinking back her tears as her Aunt wrapped an arm around her, watching her shrink and summon her trunk as she slipped it into her pocket. "Come on, let's go home."

The pair didn't speak as Bellatrix took her hand. Nymphadora simply took one last look at her childhood room, one last look at the hallway, one last look at the photograph of her five-year-old self laughing in her mother's lap as her father pulled ridiculous faces at her. She couldn't help but feel deep sorrow as she walked out of the door with her Aunt, the front door closing behind her one last time. Though she knew it was for the best, she wanted her Aunt in her life. She enjoyed her Aunt teaching her, talking to her, even simply keeping her company. She couldn't live with her parents anymore if they would be so harsh as to stop her from seeing someone she wanted to when she was nearly legal age anyway.

"Ready, pet?" Bella asked, breaking the girl from her thoughts as she tore her gaze from the Tonks house.

"Yes." Dora nodded, speaking more firmly this time. "Let's go home."

Bellatrix smiled at the girl, resisting the urge to all out grin at the success of her plan as with a nod she gripped tightly onto her niece's hand and disapparated them both to Lestrange Manor.


	15. A New Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have a lot more of this story written than is loaded on here . . . so I'm just gonna go ahead and bring AO3 up to date with that, enjoy!

Ted Tonks frowned as he walked through the front door of the Tonks household. The moment he stepped over the threshold he could not shake the overpowering feeling that something wasn't right. The usual smell of that night's dinner was absent, the house was dark and the usual sound of his wife listening to the wireless or his daughter getting up to her usual mischief was lacking. Ted walked through to the kitchen, frowning in confusion as half made sandwiches lay on the kitchen side looking as though they had been there for at least a few hours before he had turned up.

"Dromeda?" Ted called out as he drew his wand, suddenly becoming fearful that something bad had happened. "Dora? Anyone? . . . _Homenum Revelio."_

The man's fear was not satisfied as there was only one presence in the house, he drew his wand as he carefully made his way towards the source of the presence in his home. He was hesitant to call out anymore, worried about who he would find. Were his wife and child okay? Was there someone in his home that had done something to his wife and daughter? Has Andromeda and Nymphadora finally fought to the point where the result had been them killing each other? Ted was saddened to realise that the last option would not have surprised him.

As Ted Tonks approached his daughter's room he took a deep breath, clasping his hand on the cool metal of the door handle as he took a moment to prepare himself. He couldn't help but stumble slightly as the door opened of its own accord.

Andromeda Tonks was sat on the bed, looking to her husband with a tear stained face, though she had a strange air of cool calmness about her as she sat in the room only lit by the moonlight pouring through the window. Ted didn't lower his wand, looking around the room as his confusion only increased. The room was bare. The draws were all partially open, the wardrobe doors open to reveal all of his daughter's clothes gone, the only things that remained were the furnishings and the old posters on the walls.

"Dromeda?" Ted barely whispered afraid to ask his next question. "What happened?"

Andromeda furrowed her brow ever so slightly for a moment before she looked around the room with her mask of emotionless calm back on her features. "Oh, nothing . . . Don't worry, Bellatrix came and took Nymphadora."

"What?!" Ted stared at his wife in shock, unsure he could believe what he had just heard.

"Oh," Andromeda sighed, "don't worry, she wanted to go."

"Andromeda she's not safe—you said so yourself." Ted shook his head, amazed that his wife was acting so calm about the situation.

Andromeda shook her head, looking to the space on her daughter's dresser that used to hold a family photograph though was now painfully bare. "I let her go, Ted."

"Y-You let her go?" Ted gawped, "Why?"

The witch pulled her eyes away from the space on the dresser, closing her eyes as she willed herself not to get emotional again. "Her eyes . . . That look . . . She wanted to go, I told her no, I told her that I loved her and she wasn't safe with my sister and she wouldn't listen. Bellatrix has gotten to her, she has clearly been whispering in our daughter's ear for too long for me to even get the slightest bit of sense too her. I know what she can be like, manipulative, though powerful, alluring, able to bend you to her own ways . . . I didn't warn Nymphadora about her. She asked me about her when she was younger and I never warned her. If I had just—" Andromeda paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before she carried on. "I—I went to curse Bellatrix and she stopped me . . . She stared straight at me and—" Andromeda shook her head "It was that look. It was the same look I remember seeing in my own eyes, when I wanted to leave my family . . . There was no changing her mind . . . She's almost seventeen." The witch opened her eyes as she felt her husband sit next to her on the bed, letting the man take her hand as she forced herself to continue to speak. "I tried still—I tried the only thing I could . . . I thought that maybe if she had to choose . . . it made me pause—for a slightest of moments—when my parents said the same to me . . . I thought if she had to pick between never seeing her parents again or staying here she might— . . . Don't hate me."

Another tear fell down the woman's features as her husband wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his side as he rested his head against her own. "I could never hate you."

"I lost our daughter." Andromeda said. "I-If I had just given her more freedom to begin with, not been so confining—but she is a child, she needs boundaries, it was for her safety and now . . ."

". . . Is she safe?" Ted barely whispered.

Andromeda hesitated for a moment for she nodded ever so slightly "Bellatrix doesn't want to hurt her . . . She has a plan for her . . . she said she'll be happy." She decided not to mention the 'most of the time' part of Bellatrix's promise, she didn't want to think about it. "I'm sorry, Ted . . ."

Ted sighed as he pulled his wife closer, kissing her head. "You couldn't have stopped it . . . It will be okay."

Andromeda wrapped her arms around her husband, resting her head on her shoulder as she tried not to think. Would it be okay? Would her daughter be okay? Had she made a mistake in not putting up more of a fight? It was obvious that those questions would continue to haunt her for a long time.

* * *

Nymphadora didn't say a word, the sixteen-year-old reluctantly letting her Aunt's hand go as they arrived at the manor. She held her head high as much as she could, staring straight ahead as she tried to ignore the rush of emotions pounding through her mind. She followed her Aunt's lead, through the grand entrance of Lestrange Manor and up the staircase towards the bedroom Nymphadora had come to know as her own on her visits to her Aunt and Uncle. Bellatrix pushed the door open, letting the girl go in ahead of her.

The girl sat on the bed, watching her Aunt take her trunk out of her pocket and turn it back to its original size.

"Do you want to go through your things now or tomorrow?" Bellatrix mused as the girl went to sit on her bed, "It can be fun sorting through things sometimes you know, I used to burn the things I _really_ didn't want anymore—We could try that. Anything in here you hate?" Bellatrix opened the case, looking through the top layer of clothes that had been crammed inside in their haste. "Ooh, what about your muggle clothes, hmm? Won't be needing them anymore . . . Dora?"

"Huh?" Dora frowned as she looked to her Aunt. "Uh—Yeah I suppose . . . tomorrow."

Bellatrix looked to the girl, taking in her limp hair and faint forced smile as she looked back at her. The elder witch sighed, walking over to the girl and sitting next to her. "You did the right thing."

"I know . . ." Dora mumbled, picking at the fabric of her skirt.

"Dora, you heard her," Bellatrix looked to the girl with fake sympathy, though the young girl could not see through the lie to the amused joy underneath, "she said she would never talk to you again merely because you wanted to live with your own Aunt and Uncle. What sort of mother does that? Tries to stop you from seeing your own flesh and blood and then _disowns_ you for it?"

"You know . . . you're right." Dora furrowed her brows in thought before she shook her head, "I'm better off without the both of them."

"You are." Bellatrix agreed, smirking as she stood from the bed. "Now make yourself at home, Dora. We can go shopping tomorrow if you like, we can get some things to make the room more of your own."

"Can we go to Knockturn Alley?" Dora asked, "Buy some stuff that I couldn't hide from Mum before?"

"Of course, we can buy whatever you want—I'll have to get you a key to the vault." Bellatrix laughed at the expression on her nieces face.

"Really?" Dora couldn't help but grin.

"Well, I can't have you living with me whilst simultaneously running around in cheap clothes with mediocre things." Bellatrix said, "You are living the pureblood life now my dear, no more mudbloods and blood traitors, you must act the part dear—act the part to be the part."

"Y-You think I can fit in?" Nymphadora bit her lip.

"Of course." Bellatrix smirked, "Perhaps I'll invite Narcissa over to teach you how to act 'proper'—though half of that stuff is nonsense if you ask me."

"W—Won't you get in trouble with your family?" Dora hesitated to say, "They won't be happy with me living here—your Dad didn't seem very happy to see me here that time."

"I talked to father—your grandfather—he'll be fine. Though you may have to meet him properly now, my deepest apologies for that one." Bellatrix grinned in amusement as Nymphadora raised an eyebrow at her, "Don't worry about things that needn't be worried about." Bellatrix walked towards the door, "Now settle in. I'll send an elf for you when dinner is ready."

"Okay. . ." Dora smiled slightly, looking around her new bedroom.

With one last look at her niece, Bellatrix left the room, a sense of joy and accomplishment running through her. Not only had she managed to achieve her goal of finally removing her sister and the mudblood from her niece's life. There was no doubt that Bellatrix would be able to fully train and mould Nymphadora Tonks into being the perfect weapon for her lord the moment he returned. There was no doubt that Bellatrix Lestrange was on a high, though regardless her instincts took over as a strong arm grabbed her and pulled her through the nearest doorway. Her wand was quickly drawn and pointed straight at the person who had grabbed her.

"Put that thing away." Rodolphus growled as he turned to face his wife.

"What was that in aid of?" Bellatrix rolled her eyes, though her a grin quickly returned to her face despite herself. "Must you really attempt to ruin my good moods?"

"Why is Nymphadora here?" Rodolphus asked, ignoring his wife's questions. "I told you not to go over there when you got that letter, Bellatrix. I _told_ you to wait until she was back at school."

"Well, Roddy," Bella pouted, "you know I'm impatient—and this has worked out so much better."

"Why is she here?" Rodolphus repeated his question, narrowing his eyes at his wife in annoyance.

Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh, putting her wand in its holster before she slowly walked over to her husband. She met his glaring eyes with her own now glittering in amusement as she brought up her hands to rest his chest. "You know my plan Rod, it's been my plan for years— _our_ plan."

"Stop avoiding my questions, Bellatrix." Rodolphus wrapped an arm around his wife, his fingers digging into her hip as he pulled her into himself, his patience with her quickly dwindling.

Bellatrix sighed deeply, taking in the small details in his face before she gave him a devious smirk, "Well . . . I went to her house, had a lovely discussion with my sister and we both agreed it was best if she lived with us."

"You what!?"

"Ow, _loud_." Bellatrix rolled her eyes again even as she could sense the anger rising in her husband. "Nymphadora lives here now."

Rodolphus pushed his wife away from him, ignoring her hiss of discomfort as she stumbled and almost fell over the armchair behind her. "You have invited a 16-year-old half-blood to live with us?"

"Well," Bellatrix huffed as she straightened herself up again "she's stayed here enough in the past, I—"

"You should have consulted me!" Rodolphus yelled as Bellatrix quickly placed a silencing ward on the room lest Nymphadora hear their argument.

"I did, I laid awake in bed last night and had a lovely one-sided conversation with your unconscious form." Bellatrix smirked as her husband growled, "Rodolphus, you knew something like this would happen eventually. She is a great weapon for the Dark Lord, though she needs to be moulded into the perfect weapon. We can only help her so much with hidden rendezvous. What if when she left Hogwarts she decided she wanted to make her own way? That she didn't need dear Aunt Bellatrix anymore. This way, we are her only home and support—her mother disowned her. It was hilarious really, used the same spiel that father gave her about choosing between this and her family. Oh, Roddy, you should have seen it—I'll show you later." Bellatrix paused for a moment, frowning slightly at her husband as his anger seemed to be barely dwindling. "This is a good thing."

"And what do you explain to your family—to society as a whole—why we; a respectable pureblooded couple are housing a teenage half-blood?" Rodolphus asked.

"A metamorphmagus." Bellatrix added, "A half-blood, teenaged, metamorphmagus that will do anything Auntie Bella wants. Even father sees the advantage. We're at no risk of disownment—your parents are dead, you're the head of your household. Are you going to disown me, hmm? . . . No, I thought not. It's for the best, Rodolphus."

"You should have talked to me about it— _whilst I was awake_." Rodolphus added as Bellatrix went to open her mouth again.

"Perhaps." Bellatrix shrugged. "Though I know you're a smart enough man to see this is the right step to take. You would have agreed eventually, though you would have taken your time about it and Nymphadora could have returned to school—or made up with her mother before I could step in. I couldn't risk that."

Rodolphus thought for a moment, clenching his fists a few times as he tried to numb his anger. "You better be right about all of this."

"I am, as always." Bellatrix giggled, walking up to her husband and slowly snaking her arms around his shoulders, gently placing a kiss on his cheek before she burst into giggles. "You know, Andromeda and Nymphadora fought. The girl accused her mother of not trusting her judgement that I wouldn't hurt her and that I loved her and all of that nonsense. Fool."

"Anyone is a fool for trusting you, Bellatrix." Rodolphus wrapped his arms around his wife again despite his words, his grip more loving this time as the woman continued to giggle.

"Then you must be the biggest fool of them all, dear husband." Bellatrix purred, kissing him fiercely for mere seconds before she pulled away with a grin. "Come on now, I will have to write to father and Narcissa. It is probably best they find out of this from myself than through anyone who may see my niece and I on our little shopping trip tomorrow."

Rodolphus nodded, watching his wife practically skip out of the room and down to his study. The man had long learned it was foolish to think he could stand in the way of what his wife wanted.


	16. Black Manor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I believe this is the longest chapter to date, as a few people told me my story was recommended on a group, I went digging and discovered something called a "Rat Race" . . . long story short, Enjoy!

"I don't like this." Bellatrix snapped as she finished pinning her last curl in place.

"You knew this would happen eventually the minute you had her come live here, Bellatrix." Rodolphus said, walking up behind his wife to adjust his robes in the mirror.

"She's not ready." Bellatrix hissed. "She's been here a week."

"You have known that your father's Christmas ball was today for a month—for years, in fact, it's always on the same date."

"Well, when I wrote to my father I assumed that he would agree with me and let her stay at home this evening." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "I had Narcissa here most of the day yesterday teaching her how to be 'proper'—I mean, I barely kept with proprieties when I was her age but I—"

"You knew the rules." Rodolphus smirked, resting a hand on his wife's hip as he met her dark eyes in the reflection of the mirror "You knew just how to break them in all the right ways."

"Hmm," Bella giggled, leaning back into her husband as he rested his head on her shoulder "I still do—though it was slightly more thrilling at Nymphadora's age. There's not much fun in stealing a bottle of wine and hiding away in the grounds when we're of age and married."

"No?" Rodolphus pouted, "I'm sure I could make it fun if you'd like."

"Rodolphus." Bellatrix swatted away the mans wandering hands, turning to face him with a sudden look of determination. "No." She pecked him on the cheek, smirking as he tried to pull her close again only for her to step out of his reach. "I have to keep an eye on Nymphadora tonight . . . I'll make it up to you when we get back."

"I'll hold you to it." Rodolphus said.

"Oh, I know you will." Bellatrix sighed as she walked away from the man. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Nymphadora was standing in the middle of her room, staring at the floor length mirror as she inspected her emerald green gown and black hair now in a perfect tightly braided bun. She turned the instant she saw her Aunt, stumbling slightly in her heels as she bit her lip.

"I can't do this." Dora rushed, "I can't remember everything Aunt Cissa said—I mean, she's really tried and I don't want to let her down but it's a lot and—"

"Dora," Bellatrix smiled reassuringly at the girl, "you'll be fine. You look the part and that's half the work, women are mostly expected to stand around looking pretty and you do look rather beautiful in that dress."

"Thanks." Dora blushed. "Aunt Cissa picked it out . . . Do you really think I can blend in at a _ball_? I'm not sure I can deal with it all."

"Just be thankful you don't have my mother to deal with—she died a while ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Dora said.

"Don't be." Bellatrix laughed at the girl's small frown of confusion at her words. "You're not the only one who dislikes her mother." Dora couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the woman's comment, only causing Bellatrix to grin as she held her arm out to the girl. "Come on, Dora, it's time to leave."

Dora nodded, taking her Aunts arm in her own as they walked down to meet Rodolphus. Bellatrix walked rather slower than she would have liked, though Nymphadora was grateful as she felt more steady and oddly safe with her Aunt by her side. Rodolphus didn't say a word as the two women approached him, exchanging a small glance and nod with his wife. Suddenly Bellatrix gripped tightly onto the girl's arm, leaving her just enough time to squeeze her eyes tight in anticipation before the now familiar sensation of being forced through an extremely tight tube took over her. The girl stumbled slightly as she found her footing, the faint sound of her Aunt's laughter filling her ears, the cold winter's breeze hitting her bare arms.

"Will I ever get used to that?" Dora couldn't help but mumble.

"Eventually." Rodolphus drawled.

"Come on, Dora." Bellatrix chimed, "Just remember what Narcissa taught you—well, as much as you can."

Dora nodded, looking up to the house ahead of them. It was a large house, though she could clearly see that it was not as large as Lestrange Manor, still, it was just as intimidating. They walked up the pathway, lined with decorative candles leading up to the building. The closer they got to the entrance the more nervous the girl got, the butterflies in her stomach threatening to burst out which was not helped as Bellatrix let go of her arm. She took a deep breath as Rodolphus reached out to the ornate knocker, hitting it firmly as she swore she could feel the echo of the noise hitting straight to her bones. Nymphadora couldn't remember the last time she felt so nervous yet she couldn't understand why. Her Aunt Cissa would be there, with Draco and his father, she was with Rodolphus and Bellatrix, surely she had no reason to feel so nervous? She tried her hardest to 'put on a show' as her Aunt Cissa had taught her. Ensuring her face was devoid of emotion as she held her head high and stood up straight, her currently light brown eyes barely flickering to the old house elf that greeted them. The couple paid no notice to the scrawny creature, barely waiting for the door to be fully opened before they stepped over the threshold. The interior of the building looked quite the same to how Lestrange Manor looked in Dora's opinion. The entrance was a large room with the grand staircase in the centre, the walls were devoid of portraits though they held strange artefacts that the girl didn't want to linger too much on; she needed to stay focused.

"Father." Bellatrix spoke coldly as a familiar man walked towards them, a cold smirk on his features that Dora couldn't help but acknowledge had clearly been inherited by his eldest daughter.

"Bellatrix, Rodolphus and _Nymphadora_." Dora forced a slight polite smile at her grandfather, though truth be told the way he stretched out each syllable of her name did not help her nerves. "Don't you all look lovely, so nice of you three to be able to make it. Especially yourself, Nymphadora," Dora prevented herself from jumping as she felt her Aunt's hand return to her arm in a sudden protective notion. "there are a lot of people that are very . . . interested in meeting you."

"I take it they are all in the ballroom?" Rodolphus asked.

"Yes," Cygnus pulled his gaze from his granddaughter to look to his son-in-law, a slight tone of irritation in his voice as his train of thought was clearly disturbed.

"Well," Bellatrix said, a tone in her voice that Dora couldn't quite place, "we should join them. Wouldn't want them to wonder where their _gracious_ host has gotten to, would we now?"

"I suppose not." Cygnus took one last look at the young girl before he gestured towards the faint sound of music, Bellatrix immediately pulling on her niece to get her to walk ahead with her.

As the doors opened Nymphadora would have sworn the hum of chatter below the music temporarily paused, though her Aunt continued to gently guide her and she followed suit without question to the corner of the room where a bar had been erected. Rodolphus came behind them just as the witch was pressing a glass of elf-made wine into the girl's hand.

"She's _sixteen_ , Bellatrix." Rodolphus said, his eyes sweeping the grand marble room as he took note of the witches and wizards around them, of which Nymphadora thought there were at least one hundred.

"She'll be seventeen soon enough, I was drinking wine at these awful events when I was nearly seventeen. Merlin knows you need a little wine to survive these." Bellatrix rolled her eyes before looking to her niece. "Just be sensible with it."

"Okay." Dora nodded, taking a sip before she wrinkled her nose at the strong taste.

"It's an acquired taste." Rodolphus smirked.

"Rodolphus," Bellatrix snapped, glaring at the man for a moment before she forced a smile, "go see if you can find Lucius. If Narcissa is with him please tell her where we are."

"I'm sure she noticed our arrival." Rodolphus drawled before with a look of slight annoyance he did as his wife had asked him.

"Dora," Dora looked to her Aunt as she spoke her name, furrowing her brows in slight confusion at the slight concern that laced her tone, "be careful around my father."

"I—Okay."

"I mean it." Bellatrix spoke more firmly this time, "He's a nasty piece of work and it is best to stay away from him if it can at all be avoided. Promise me you will be careful?"

"I promise." Nymphadora agreed, though she was still unsure as to why her own grandfather should be someone she would need to avoid.

Narcissa came over to them moments later, kissing both her niece's and sister's cheeks in greeting. "You look troubled, sister." Bellatrix dismissed the woman's comment with a shake of her head.

"Where's Draco?" Dora asked, taking another sip of her wine. She had to admit it didn't taste as bad as she had initially thought and it did seem to drown the butterflies in her stomach ever so slightly.

"He's with the other children." Narcissa smiled at Dora, "You look lovely, Dora. You pull that look off quite well."

"Well, you picked it." Dora blushed, "If I had my way I most definitely wouldn't be wearing heels or have my hair pulled _quite_ so tightly."

"The point of these events is definitely not to feel comfortable." Bellatrix smirked, ignoring her sister's scolding look. "Merely to get together, judge other people and show off your wealth."

"Bellatrix." Narcissa spoke warningly to her sister, though Dora couldn't help but let out a slight huff of laughter.

"What?" Bellatrix looked to her sister with feigned innocence "What did I say?"

Dora's gaze wandered as she looked around the room, ignoring her two Aunts discussion as to why Bellatrix should keep certain comments to herself in such places. She recognised a few people, though not many, mainly the odd high up official from the ministry that she had seen in the paper from time to time. She spotted Rodolphus and Lucius talking with some other men as an elf, a different one from the one that had greeted them, offered them appetisers. The only person that made her freeze for a moment was Rowle, the boy was staring at her from the dance floor as he seemingly effortlessly and unenthusiastically spun a girl around the floor. The butterflies were now absent though, as it now felt as if a pile of rocks had landed in their place once she recognised the boys dancing partner to be Ebony Rosier. Dora sipped at her wine again, though her wish to turn invisible was not fulfilled by the substance as to her horror the music came to a slow end and the boy gave his dancing partner a slight bow before he made his way straight to her.

"So, did you grow up here?" Dora said suddenly, determined to at least attempt to ignore the boy for a moment as she turned to her Aunts. Narcissa looked slightly taken back to be interrupted from her discussion though Bellatrix merely sighed.

"Unfortunately."

"Bella." Narcissa groaned before she looked to her niece. "Yes, we did. I—Oh, good evening, Master Rowle."

"Madam Malfoy, Madam Lestrange." Rowle nodded politely to the two women, though Bellatrix continued to look at her niece from the corner of her eye. "I was wondering, if you were both agreeable, I could talk to Nymphadora?"

Dora gritted her teeth, determined to listen to her Aunts lessons on propriety currently racing through her mind rather than simply yell at the boy to leave her alone.

"You should ask Nymphadora such questions, she has a mind and free will of her own." Bellatrix said, unable to hide her amusement as she watched her niece drink her wine to further attempt to stop speaking her mind at the boy.

"Well, Nymphadora?" Rowle asked, holding his hand out to the girl.

Nymphadora could have punched him there and then, the boy had always irked her to an extent and she had thought it was pretty obvious from her silence that she did not want to leave her Aunts company. She was afraid that she would do something to embarrass her family in one way or another tonight already, at least with Bellatrix or Narcissa there she had some sort of buffer for the inevitability of her saying or doing something stupid. It was Narcissa who made her give in though, a raise of her eyebrows and a nod to the boy clearly reminding her that this was the 'proper' thing to do and that she could not refuse such a forward invitation.

She nodded, taking the boys outstretched hand reluctantly "Fine."

Bellatrix bit back a laugh as she watched the pair walk away, swirling her wine around her glass. "Oh dear."

"She is too much like you, you do realise that?" Narcissa sighed.

"Well, I taught her well." Bellatrix shrugged "Perhaps I _should_ keep an eye on her . . ." she finished her glass of wine, placing the empty glass on the bar with all intentions of following her niece—that was until she saw Rodolphus, Lucius, Crabbe Senior and Goyle Senior make their way to leave the ballroom. "On the other hand . . ." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, leaving her sister to stare after her as she rushed to catch up with the men.

"Oh for Merlin's sake." Narcissa sighed, hesitating before she decided she would simply ignore what she had seen and instead return to her own socialising.

* * *

"Are you sure we should be out here?" Nymphadora asked, unable to keep the irritation from her voice as she pulled her hand away from the older boy whilst she looked around the grounds. They were alone out here, though the decorations from inside seeped into the exterior of the property as fake icicles hung from trees and real fairies, not unlike the ones that decorated the Great Hall at Hogwarts hovered around candlelit bushes.

"Well, I can't see why not." Rowle shrugged, "It's not like there's anything stopping us—besides this is your grandfather's home, I doubt there are many places you cannot go here now you have seemingly been welcomed into the family."

"I—" Dora shook her head, narrowing her eyes at the boy as she got over her momentary distraction at his comment, "What do you want?"

"So direct." Rowle laughed.

"You said you wanted to talk to me." Dora crossed her arms across her chest, mostly to attempt to gain some sort of warmth against the winter's air though it worked just as well to show her annoyance, "What do you want?" She repeated her question.

Rowle smirked, considering the girl for a moment before he nodded towards the bench. "Come." He placed a hand on her elbow, tutting as she pulled away before he allowed her to lead the way to the bench. "You look rather different tonight, Tonks." Rowle commented as he sat down next to the girl, "It suits you."

"Don't call me Tonks."

"No, I suppose I shouldn't now." Rowle sighed, "What with you living with the Lestrange's now. Will you be changing your name?"

"How do you know I'm living with my Aunt and Uncle?" Dora asked, deciding to ignore the comment about her last name. If she was perfectly honest with herself it was something that had crossed her mind briefly; she knew the Tonks name was one of Muggle heritage but she didn't know what else she would have. She had decided she wouldn't worry about it unless her Aunt brought it up to her.

"Purebloods gossip." Rowle said, "Besides, you're _here_ and you came with them. Do you really think Cygnus Black would let you into his home if you were associating with a mudblood and a blood traitor? . . . What happened?"

"None of your business." Dora said abruptly. "Is this why you asked me out here? To get the gossip?"

"No . . . well, maybe a little bit but not about that." Rowle shrugged.

"Then what?" Dora asked, looking to the boy as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ebony said you used the Cruciatus on her." Rowle said bluntly.

"Did she whisper that in your ear whilst you had your little dance?" Dora mocked, "Don't trust a word that bitch says."

"Funnily enough she didn't." Rowle laughed, "She did seem quite annoyed to see you here though. No, I found out from Gibbon."

"He told Professor Dumbledore I didn't do it."

"Oh come on, Nymphie—"

"Don't call me Nymphie." Dora huffed.

" _Dora_." Rowle corrected himself, a smug look on his face that was dying to be hexed off in the girl's opinion, "We all know what we tell our Professors is rarely the truth in such circumstances. So? Is it true? Or is Gibbon spreading shit again?"

Dora hesitated for a moment, tearing her gaze away from the older boy as she decided to take interest in the nearby group of fairies, "The Cruciatus curse is illegal."

"Yes, it is." Rowle laughed, "That doesn't stop us using it though, does it? If I had a sickle for each time I'd used it or seen it used I'd be rich—well, _richer_."

". . . How do you know how to use it?" Dora asked carefully.

"Probably the same way that your Aunt knows it." Rowle shrugged. "I take it she was the one that taught you? I doubt the blood traitor taught you and I'm sure the mudblood would not know such spells."

"You're right there." Dora couldn't help but let out a breath of laughter.

"So you did use it on Ebony?" Rowle asked.

"Why do you care?" Dora asked after a moment of thought, she was undecided as to if Thorfinn Rowle was simply trying to coax her into admitting she'd broken the law merely to get her in trouble.

"I don't really."

"Yeah right." Dora scoffed.

"Well . . . _If_ you did it . . . I'm impressed." Rowle said simply before he couldn't help but grin, "That Ebony Rosier is a piece of work if you ask me—someone needs to put the girl in her place."

"She goes around acting as if she's some hard nut badass," Dora groaned in annoyance, "demanding that people respect her and then the minute someone retaliates to a hex she goes crying to a professor."

"So you cursed her because she threw a hex at you?" Rowle asked.

"Did I say I did that?" Dora couldn't help but smirk slightly, "Though _if_ I did . . . the bitch deserved it." Thorfinn Rowle couldn't help but laugh at the girl, shaking his head in amusement. "What?" Dora asked, though she was unable to wipe the small smirk entirely off of her features.

"You surprise me, Nymphadora." Rowle sighed, "Though it is a pleasant surprise, I admit. I remember when you first got sorted into Slytherin—a small half-blood, with a weird power and surprisingly quiet. You used to get teased in first year too if I remember correctly, though I never expected you to turn into the sort of person to use an unforgivable to solve their arguments."

"First of all I was not _small_ —I was decidedly average height for an eleven-year-old, secondly," Dora huffed as Rowle continued to grin at her in his amusement, "you only call it a 'weird' power because you're either jealous or you're too dim-witted to understand it and _thirdly_ , do not underestimate me."

"Oh, I don't." Rowle shook his head, "if anything you've proven you are most definitely not someone to be underestimated. Besides, I do understand your _weird_ powers, it intrigues me." Dora raised an eyebrow at the boy, watching as his hand moved across her to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, "You can change anything you want to, be anyone you want to be. How could I not find that anything but intriguing and quite frankly impressive."

Dora looked to the boy, his dark eyes staring straight into her own as if he was trying to silently communicate with her though she knew he could not be attempting legilimency for the familiar attempt of a probing sensation was not there. It was only as he leant forward slightly she realised what he was trying to do. As the boy closed his eyes, snaking his hand behind her head she reacted instinctively as a smack echoed the otherwise near silent gardens.

"What did you do that for!?" Rowle yelled, putting his hand to his now red cheek as Nymphadora stood glaring at him now sporting tomato red hair.

"What did _you_ do _that_ for?" Dora hissed.

"Merlin Nymphadora!" Rowle glared back at her, "I was trying to kiss you, not curse you!"

"Yeah, after telling me how I can change my appearance to whatever I want—whatever _you_ want more like." Dora scoffed in her anger, "Well if you think I'm that sort of girl you can piss off. I'm sure Ebony would gladly let you kiss her—all you'd have to do is bloody look at her, I've heard she's already making her way through the Slytherin Quidditch team, perhaps join that? Get fucking polyjuice potion or use spells if you want to force some poor girl to look how you please because I will not be giving in to your sick fantasies. You—"

"Nymphadora?" a man's voice called out, causing Nymphadora to stop herself from her next step of drawing her wand on the now alarmed and potentially frightened looking boy before her. She closed her eyes as she forced herself to take a calming breath, grateful that she had her back to her grandfather.

"Mr Black." Rowle said respectfully, immediately forgetting the red slap mark on his cheek as he stood and nodded his head to the older man.

"What, may I ask, are you two doing out in the cold night air alone?" Cygnus mused.

"Sorry sir," Rowle said, "I simply wished to talk to Nymphadora about school things and the party is so successful inside I could barely hear your granddaughter over the chatter and music."

"I see . . . Nymphadora?"

Dora took another steadying breath, forcing a polite smile onto her lips as she turned to face the man. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes as he looked at her, raising an eyebrow as he clearly waited for something from the girl. "Yes . . . sir?"

"Is this true?" he asked, "Were you both discussing _school_?"

"Yes," Nymphadora figured it was partially the truth, they had discussed events at school, though nevertheless, she felt herself bringing up her Occlumency guard almost on instinct as the mans probing gaze bore into her, "You see, I got rather good grades in my practice N.E. and Thorfin here was asking me about them, he didn't achieve such desirable results as mine when he was in his sixth year you see."

The girl had to hold back a smirk as she noted the boy holding down his outrage from the corner of her eye. In truth she didn't know what grades the boy had got in his sixth year (though she wouldn't have been surprised if she had achieved higher grades than him), though she highly doubted he was about to deny such a comment when she was seemingly forgetting to tell the host of the party that he had tried to kiss his granddaughter and gotten a slap in return.

"I see," Cygnus mused before finally looking to the boy, "perhaps you should go and find your parents, Master Rowle. I believe I saw your father wander off after Bellatrix and her husband."

"Yes, sir." Rowle nodded, practically running away from the pair as his ears burned red in his embarrassment.

Dora looked to the older man, trying to hide her unease as he took a step towards her "Follow me, Nymphadora." The man turned, taking a step or two before he turned to see the girl still stuck to the spot. "Nymphadora?"

"I—" Dora bit her lip before she forced herself to nod. Her Aunt had told her to stay away from the man if it could be avoided, but what with what Narcissa had taught her about the proper decorum and such she couldn't see a polite way that following the man could be avoided. Besides, the man was her grandfather, as much as he clearly held some hatred for her own mother and father she had forsaken them and if that was enough for him to want her to attend his annual Christmas Ball then surely he couldn't _hate_ her, could he?

Dora followed the man through the manor, not uttering a word as she took in the place, nodding politely to her Uncle as she passed Lucius on her way up the staircase. The upper level of the manor was decidedly more personal, Dora thought. There were more portraits hung on the wall, each watching her curiously as she passed younger versions of her family. She couldn't help but realise that there seemed to be more portraits of her younger Aunt, though the majority seemed to be of older relatives and some of who she assumed could only be her grandmother standing with her two daughters and husband. Nymphadora wondered what had happened to the portraits of her own mother, maybe portrait Andromeda simply got up and abandoned the pictures as she had done her real family one day? The girl was lost in thought as Cygnus Black stopped at a door, drawing his wand to unlock the handle as he smirked back at her.

"At events such as this, you do not want your guests to be able to go _quite_ wherever they please." He said as she looked curiously to the door. He opened the room, holding the door open to let the girl go ahead of himself.

"Of course." Dora said, attempting to hide the nerves from her voice as she tried not to wonder why on earth she was being led into what was clearly the man's study. She flinched as she heard the click of the door lock behind her, instinctively stepping away from the path of the man as he walked over to his liquor cabinet.

"Whiskey?" Cygnus asked. "You forgot your wine glass on the bench outside I see, perhaps Rowle's advances distracted you?"

"N-no thank you." Dora said, "I'm not even seventeen yet."

"No," Cygnus laughed, "but as I suppose it was your Aunt Bellatrix that handed you the wine in the first place I doubt she would mind if you had something a little stronger, she is technically your guardian now I suppose."

"I suppose . . ." Dora agreed.

"You didn't deny it, I notice." Cygnus said as he turned after pouring two whiskey glasses, walking over and handing the girl a glass despite the fact she looked as if she was ready to protest again, "So Rowle did make advances on you?"

"What makes you think that?" It was an automatic response, a defensive one that Dora almost immediately regretted once Cygnus laughed at her.

"Your hair is red." Cygnus shrugged, taking a sip of his whiskey, "I have been doing some research on your kind—metamorphmagus that is. I cannot seem to find one in our family from my research so far and there isn't much about them in textbooks. You are rather a rather rare creature-fascinating, but rare. From what I can decipher from what little writings there are on the subject, sometimes a metamorphmagus will unwilling change their hair or even eye colour to reflect their mood unwillingly. I suspect that Rowle angered you somehow and if you are anything like Bellatrix—which I suspect you are given her clear influence on you—a man making an unwanted advance on you could potentially anger you."

Dora stuttered for a moment, unable to think of something to say to deny the obvious truth. She took a sip of her whiskey to try and stall the need to answer him, this was suddenly and most obviously a mistake as she spluttered at the strong taste of it.

Cygnus black laughed as he walked over to the girl, rubbing her back. "Not used to the strong stuff, hmm?"

"Not really." Dora shook her head, wiping her mouth. It took a moment for her to realise that the man still had his hand on her back, now standing uncomfortably close to her.

"Your hair is still red . . ." He murmured, "Still angry?"

"I-no." Dora shook her head, forcing herself to morph the red out of her hair to instead replace it with a raven black like her Aunt Bellatrix. As she unscrewed her features though she couldn't help but feel her nerves were about to make an appearance in her hair all over again. Her grandfather had a smirk on his features that, if he was anything like his eldest child, clearly insinuated that he was most definitely up to something.

"You do look beautiful, Nymphadora." Cygnus purred, the hand that was not currently in the crook of her back reaching up to stroke her pale cheek. "You're cold."

"I'm fine." Dora gulped, her eyes trained on his own as she tried to decide if it was worth attempting legilimency on the man to try and find out what on earth was thinking.

"I can help you warm up if you would like?" Cygnus smirked, attempting to close the already impossibly small gap between the pair.

Dora instinctively tried to step back, though the man kept his hand on her back as she could feel him grasp onto the back of her corset. She continued to try to back away, unable to even think of getting her wand out and cursing him away from her as all of her instincts screamed at her to do until with a gasp her back hit into a bookcase and her whiskey glass shattered on the floor.

"I—"

"Shh, don't worry about it." Cygnus chuckled despite the girl's clear fright. "Relax . . . You know, I hold the power of you staying within my family . . . I could disown Bellatrix merely for talking to you let alone inviting you to live in her home. Why should you stay and sully my house with your impure blood, hmm? Though you are a curious specimen, able to change your appearance to be anything, anyone—as the Rowle boy said, but he is just that; a boy . . ."

"I—I don't—" Dora let out a yelp of fright as the older man pressed his body against her own, the edges of the bookshelf behind her beginning to stick painfully into her back. She screwed her eyes shut, sure her hair had already turned pure white though she found herself unable to move as she could feel the mans breath on her neck.

Suddenly she let out a scream as a bang and a crash echoed across the room, the man's weight near instantly flying off of her. She was panting heavily, snapping her eyes wide open to see what on earth had happened. Her Aunt had never looked so furious, towering over her father as he scrambled to get to his feet and draw his wand though he soon let out a yell through gritted teeth as Nymphadora watched her Aunt perform the Cruciatus curse with ease. Another yell escaped the girl as she felt a strong hand grab onto her arm.

"Nymphadora." Rodolphus spoke firmly, now gripping onto both of her arms as he forced the frightened girl to look up at him. He looked over her as if looking for something, eventually meeting the girl's wide-eyed gaze with his own firm look. It was only as Cygnus Black yelled in his pain that Rodolphus snapped his gaze to his wife. "Bellatrix!"

Bellatrix let out a yell of fury, cursing her father again until the man curiously became unconscious. She turned to her husband, glaring at him as she noted his now drawn wand pointed at her father. " _Rodolphus_." She growled.

"I believe it is time to leave, don't you?" it did not sound like Rodolphus was truly asking his wife for her opinion, though it did stop her for a long enough moment to look to her niece.

Within seconds the woman strode over to the girl, pushing her husband away as she took her arm and gave her the same inspection that her husband had already. The older witches gaze softened, though her previous fury was still blatantly present as she paused to take a breath. "Clean up this mess." Bellatrix barked, though she did not look at her husband as he nodded, first getting to the task of fixing the blown down door.

"I—" Dora began to speak, though Bellatrix shook her head, tightening her grip on the girl's arm as for the second time that night she apparated the girl with little warning, this time directly into the girl's bedroom.

The moment they arrived back at Lestrange Manor Bellatrix let go of her, running her hands through her own hair as she clearly tried to calm herself whilst she began to pace the room. "I told you to avoid him!"

"I—I—I couldn't." Dora breathed.

"You could!" Bellatrix yelled.

"He—I—He was—" Dora chocked, unable to speak anymore.

Bellatrix stopped and turned to look at the girl, instantly noting the tears in her eyes, her pale complexion, her still white hair. The dark witch couldn't help it as some of the anger at her father and the girls own stupidity was replaced with an unfamiliar emotion; sorrow. She felt sorry for the girl, clearly confused and in pain as she stood shivering on the spot. As tears began to escape the girl's wide eyes Bellatrix groaned internally before walking over to her, pulling her to sit on the bed as she wrapped her arms around her, resting her head on the girls own.

"Did he hurt you?" Bellatrix barely whispered.

"N-No . . ." Dora shook her head as she relaxed slightly into her Aunt. "He said he could get rid of me if he wanted—that he could disown you."

"He's a liar." Bellatrix hissed, wincing as the girl flinched at her tone. She stroked the girl's hair, attempting to calm her again. "Don't listen to a word that he says."

"I-I'm sorry." Nymphadora sniffed, gripping onto her Aunt as she hadn't done in years. "I-I should have listened to you better."

Bellatrix shook her head, closing her eyes as she sighed "Perhaps . . . Perhaps I should have warned you better."

"He . . . He was trying to—"

"Don't." Bellatrix stiffened, "Don't think of it . . . it's better that way."

Dora hesitated for a moment before she nodded. The two women didn't speak after that, Nymphadora slowly relaxing enough into her Aunt that she eventually became tired enough to let the older woman help her prepare for bed. Bellatrix only left the room when she was sure the girl was comfortable, slipping her a dreamless sleep potion.

When Bellatrix entered her bedroom she found her husband waiting patiently, already in his night clothes as he looked to her. She didn't say a word, carrying on with her nightly routine as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until she was in her own nightdress, her hair cascading freely down her back, her face clean of the evening's makeup and her gown already removed from the room to be cleaned by the elf that she acknowledged her husband. She slipped into the bed beside him, letting him wrap his arms around her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You should have let me kill him . . ." Bellatrix mumbled.

"You've been saying that for years." Rodolphus sighed.

"The repetition of my request should only make you further understand the need for it to happen." Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

"Duly noted." Rodolphus said as he looked down to his wife, gently hooking a finger under his wife's chin to make her look up at him.

"What?" Bellatrix asked.

"You care for Nymphadora . . ."

"Shut up." Bellatrix frowned as she pulled her head away, adjusting herself to rest on his chest so he couldn't look at her. "She's a means to an end, nothing more."

"If you say so." Rodolphus said, though his tone did not imply that he was convinced at his wife's words.

Bellatrix decidedly ignored the comment, closing her eyes as Rodolphus turned out the lights of the room and pulled the duvet up to better cover the pair. Bellatrix didn't sleep well at all that night. Not only could she not help but dwell on the night's events and her wishes for a painful death for her father—preferably at her own hands—she annoyingly could not shun her husband's words from her mind. Though she would never admit it to herself, nor her husband, he was right. Bellatrix Lestrange had come to care for her niece as slightly more than just a weapon for her Lord.


	17. The Shrieking Shack

Nymphadora spent the rest of her Christmas break within the walls of Lestrange Manor. Though the Malfoy's did come to visit them on Christmas day after Bellatrix had a 'discussion' with her days previously as to why she would not be going anywhere near Black Manor again, no matter what her sister believed to be the tradition. It did seem that Narcissa would rather visit her sister in her own home than test if the threat to murder their father was a bluff. Dora couldn't help but be grateful at that, she didn't particularly wish to go back to her Grandfather anytime soon (if ever) and she did have to admit after seeing her Aunt so angry she was half tempted to kill the man herself if Bellatrix truly was bluffing, though she somehow doubted she was. Still, the rest of the holiday's were a quiet affair and it seemed that barely any time had passed at all when Nymphadora was sat back in the Slytherin common room completing the days' assigned potions essay. She had mainly avoided her peers as per usual, though she was hardly surprised as Rowle came to sit opposite her with Gibbon.

"Gibbon I can't help it if you're failing potions, do your own homework." Dora sighed, barely looking up from her parchment.

"I'm not failing potions." Gibbon snorted.

"Yet." Dora sighed, putting her quill and parchment down to look at the boys, "What do you want?"

"What's wrong with you today?" Gibbon asked.

"Nothing's wrong with me." Dora rolled her eyes.

"No, this is as friendly as Nymphadora gets." Rowle joked, causing the other boy to laugh.

"Oh come on, I helped you out before Christmas Nymphadora." Gibbon sighed.

"If you're looking to pull in a favour I can tell you now the answer will be no." Dora scoffed.

"We're not looking for a favour." Rowle said, "We wanted to know if you'd be interested in going to Hogsmeade with us this weekend."

Dora raised an eyebrow at the pair for a moment before she shook her head, "I don't know what sort of perverse threesome you two have in mind but I am not interested."

"You flatter yourself." Rowle sighed.

"Oh really? Are you asking to be slapped again, Thorfinn?"

"Slapped?" Gibbon asked.

"Shut up, Gibbon." Rowle hissed.

"There isn't even a Hogsmeade trip planned for this weekend." Dora said.

" _Exactly_." Rowle smirked, leaning closer to the girl and lowering his voice "But we fancied going anyway and thought who better than you to join us on our little adventure?"

"You mean you want me to morph to stop you guys getting into trouble when you inevitably get caught." Dora scoffed.

"No, we won't get caught." Gibbon sighed, "Come on, Rowle I told you she'd be too chicken for something as important as this."

"First of all," Dora glared at the boy, the tips of her hair tinging red, "I am not a 'chicken' and second of all, pissing off to Hogsmeade for the hell of it is hardly important, is it?"

"That's where you're wrong." Gibbon smirked. "You see I have something that I need to collect and it needs to be collected this weekend."

"Forgot your teddy bear at home, hmm?" Dora asked, smirking as Rowle let out a scoff of laughter. "You know you can just get Mummy to post it to you."

"Forget it." Gibbon glared at the girl, "You're too scared."

"I am not." Dora shrugged, "I can just think of many reasons to sneak out of the castle and running your errands is not one of them. In fact, maybe I will go for a journey into Hogsmeade just for the fun of it."

"Yeah right, the last time you got caught breaking the rules you got kicked out of your house, clearly you don't want to risk getting in trouble again or you'll be left homeless this time around." Gibbon retorted.

"Oh fuck off." Dora snapped, stuffing her parchment and quill into her bag before standing up and storming off to her dorm room, ignoring the sniggers of the boys behind her. She was not a chicken, she had never been—and she was determined to prove it.

* * *

A unrecognisable witch walked out of Honeydukes, a bag full of a mixture of sugar quills, acid pops and a couple of chocolate frogs stuffed into her handbag. Nymphadora Tonks had morphed into a woman in her mid 20's, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes she knew that she wouldn't get caught with this disguise. Though she hadn't come to Hogsmeade merely to get sweets, that was merely a small benefit to her endeavour. She was determined to prove to Gibbon, Rowle and the rest of Slytherin for that matter, that she was not one to be messed with. After an uneventful first half of her first week back, the second half had mainly involved Nymphadora finding it more and more difficult to ignore the mutterings of Rosier and her gang of friends. She knew her Aunt wouldn't approve of her risking using the Cruciatus on the girl again to merely shut her up and starting a duel in the middle of the school didn't seem like a viable answer either. Perhaps if she could just deal with the boys of Slytherin first by further proving that she could break the rules with little risk or worry they may respect her in some small way, that perhaps would be enough to get the girls to shut up. The girls in her year seemed to be sickeningly attracted to most of the boys and if they respected her they may in turn at least stop muttering about her so openly.

As the Shrieking Shack eventually came into view Nymphadora couldn't help but think of the stupidity of her plan. Why did she feel the insistent need to rebel, to break to rules and go against near anything her mother ever tried to teach her? It wasn't like she needed to live within her mother's rules anymore and Nymphadora couldn't help but think if her Aunt found out about this she would only find it amusing. Perhaps she would even join her.

Dora shook her head in amusement at the thought, it was Bellatrix that had taught her to break the rules and rebel if she truly thought about it. She took a deep breath as she reached the door to the shack, shaking away the small voice in the back of her mind that told her that she shouldn't be going into such a building on her own. She quickly dismissed the thought, though she drew her wand as a precaution, making her way into the rickety old building. Dora jumped the moment she entered, seeing a cracked mirror in front of her and mistaking her reflection for being some other occupant of the old house. With a sigh she dropped her morph, she didn't need to hide her identity in an abandoned building and seeing as her hair flashed white at her sudden fright anyway she hardly saw the point. She took in her surroundings, wondering what she could take from the place to prove to the boys that she had been here as she made her way upstairs. It was then that she heard the sound of movement, causing her to freeze at the top of the stairs.

"Pull yourself together," Dora whispered to herself, "probably a rat or something."

She took a moment to gather herself before looking around the top floor of the building, eventually deciding to enter what looked like an old bedroom. Dora wrinkled her nose slightly at the filth of the room, kicking away an old bottle of Merlin knows what from the middle of the floor.

"Come on . . . What can I get . . ." Dora mused to herself.

"What are you looking for?" a man's voice sounded from behind her, causing her to unwillingly let out a yelp of fright before turning to point her wand at the man before her. He was a scruffy looking man, with an old robe that had clearly been patched up more than once, the odd faint line of a scar on his face that looked almost like claw marks and dishevelled sandy brown hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you . . . But what are you doing here?"

"I—" Dora went to answer the man for a moment before she thought better of it, narrowing her eyes and standing slightly straighter as she kept her wand trained on the stranger "What are _you_ doing here?" Nymphadora forced herself to sound confident, though she had to admit her tone was slightly lacking in confidence due to the undeniable sense of fear of being confronted by such a man in a supposedly abandoned house.

". . . I thought I saw someone in here, I thought I'd check it out." He said.

"Really?" Dora asked, unconvinced of the man's story.

"School kids tend to break in here from time to time." The man smiled kindly at the girl.

"Like you're breaking in here? I didn't hear the door open after I came in here." Dora said.

"You're smart," the man let out a small laugh, "what's your name?"

"None of your business." Dora said defensively.

"Right . . . Well I'm Remus," the man outreached his hand to the girl, awkwardly waiting to shake her hand as she refused to drop her wand, he eventually sighed and lowered his own hand. "did you come in here on a dare?"

"No." Dora snapped.

"Right . . . Well, you were looking for something . . . perhaps to prove that you came in here?" Remus said, waiting for a reply for the girl that did not come "There's a stack of old papers in the corner, take one of them."

". . . I didn't come here on a dare." Dora said defensively, though none the less she went and retrieved a paper.

"Of course not." Remus said, "Though you should perhaps get back to school—"

"I'm not a student." Dora lied instantly.

"Right, sorry, well then you best get home." Remus said, "It's going to be dark soon and it's a full moon tonight, that brings out all the crazies."

"Right . . ." Dora looked the man over again, holding the paper tightly in her hands. She was undeniably relieved when Remus sighed, moving far out of the way of the door so that as she walked past him she had a wide birth. She only just remembered to morph back into her disguise as she left the shack, near enough running back to Honeydukes to make her way back to the school. As she hurried up the passageway and back towards the statue of the one-eyed witch Dora returned to her usual appearance, trying not to think of the strange man she had encountered on her journey as she stuffed the paper into her bag, slipping out from behind the statue.

"I'm telling you if the map has that on it we should try it—" a small ginger first year paused as his twin brother hit him on the arm, drawing his attention to the sixth year Slytherin girl now staring at them. If Nymphadora hadn't still been focused on how fast her heart was racing from her near run back to the school she would have laughed at the one boy quickly hiding the large piece of parchment behind his back.

"What do you have there?" Dora asked.

"What were you doing behind that statue?" the second boy asked.

". . . I dropped my inkpot." Dora shrugged.

"So where is it?" the first boy asked.

"What's your name, Filch?" Dora snapped, "Now get out of my way before I make you get out of my way."

"Ouch, threatening eleven-year-olds."

"She's a Slytherin, Fred, what do you expect."

"Come on, George, we have better things to be getting on with."

Nymphadora rolled her eyes as the twins walked on past her, making her own way back to the Slytherin dungeons with the intentions of finding Rowle and Gibbons purely to throw the dusty old paper in their faces.

* * *

The rest of Dora's school years went quickly, her little trip to the Shrieking Shack did shut the boys up and merely left her with the ability to continue on relatively unbothered by her peers. She didn't care though, Hogwarts had never been her favourite place and she had to admit that she was slightly excited to be able to spend as much time with her Aunt as she wanted and no longer have to deal with her peers. She had been out of school for barely a few weeks though she already knew she much preferred the life of a graduate Hogwarts student. She had half expected Bellatrix or Rodolphus to tell her to get a job once she arrived home, though this had yet to happen. She had been given access to the Lestrange vault (something Rodolphus didn't seem so enthusiastic about) and the longer Dora lived with her Aunt and Uncle, the more she came to the realisation that the women in her family didn't really seem to work for a living. Narcissa seemed to merely be a fulltime housewife and mother to her cousin and Bellatrix . . . well, Bellatrix spent her days obsessing over the return of The Dark Lord whilst simultaneously training Dora. She had been quite blunt with her recently, telling her how she would be a perfect servant for her master and that she needed to ensure she was 'brought up to standard', Dora had to admit it did seem quite appealing and was more than enjoying her time with her Aunt. Though today was quite a mundane day in Dora's opinion as they had just arrived at Malfoy Manor to meet with Narcissa, Dora was already daydreaming about the latest training her Aunt had put her through as the timid elf poured tea.

"So do you have any plans now that you've left school, Dora?" Narcissa asked as the elf levitated her cup of tea over to her, the witch managing to take it without even acknowledging the house elf dressed in a pillowcase.

"Umm, I've not thought about it." Dora said, declining her own cup of tea; she had horrible memories of spilling the last cup her Aunt had previously offered her all over her pristine white carpet.

"Dora's perfectly happy at home with me, we have big plans." Bellatrix couldn't help but smirk as she tried to hide it behind her own teacup whilst her sister gave her a knowing and disapproving look, "How's Draco?"

"Fine," Narcissa sighed "he's very excited to be leaving for school this year, I'm taking him shopping for supplies soon."

"It's a shame Dora has left school, it would have been nice if she could have been there for Draco in his first year." Bella mused.

"Yes, well I'm sure he'll be okay though I am worried about him." Narcissa sighed, "He's never been away from me for so long."

"I can always go talk to him." Dora offered, "I can give him some advice and it might be nice for him to talk to someone who's been there."

"We all went to Hogwarts, Dora." Narcissa laughed slightly as she put down her tea.

"A long time ago." Bella shrugged. "I think she has a point."

"It was not that long ago." Narcissa said to her sister, holding her head high as Bellatrix couldn't help but smirk at her defensive reaction "I am _not_ that old . . . Though perhaps you have a point, Dora. If you don't mind?"

"It would be my pleasure." Dora smiled innocently as she stood.

"Good. Dobby, show Dora to Draco."

"Yes, Mistress." The elf bowed, immediately running to the door and leading the way for Nymphadora. The boy was not hard to find, though Dora suspected that House Elves always knew where to find their masters, Draco Malfoy was in his bedroom as the elf knocked on his door.

After a few moments the boy answered the door, looking to the elf with distaste as he told him to leave before looking to his cousin and letting her into his room. Dora had a strange relationship with her cousin, one of almost friendship as they had met a few times when they were younger and Dora had always managed to amuse him with her morphing talents. Though as she got older she suspected he was becoming more distant from her, though she couldn't quite decide if that was merely due to the boy growing up or him beginning to realise that Nymphadora wasn't exactly the perfect sort of pureblood specimen that he was used to socialising with. Nevertheless, the boy let her into her room, letting her make herself comfortable on the seating of the window ledge.

"I take it Aunt Bella is with my mother?" Draco asked.

"Yeah . . . It gets a bit boring when they have their little tea parties sometimes, I must admit." Dora grinned as the boy let out a huff of agreement, "I thought I'd come see you, seeing as you're flying the nest to go off to school soon."

"You make it sound as if I'm leaving the family." Draco scoffed.

"Nah, you can't do that—it's already been done, it won't be original if you do it too." Dora winked at the boy as he went to sit on his bed to face her. "You nervous?"

"No," Draco said quickly, "why would I be?"

Dora shrugged "Most people are. You start worrying over if you'll be put in the house you want, if you'll make friends, if you'll even like it—"

"I'll be in Slytherin, I know I will." Draco said indignantly.

"Of course you will. Even if the hat tries to put you somewhere else you can usually reason with it and get what you want." Dora shrugged, "Though I'm sure you won't have to do that . . . You know you've got very interesting classmates in your year, Draco."

"Harry Potter?" Draco asked, sighing as Dora nodded "Father's already had this discussion with me if that's why you're really here."

"What discussion?" Dora raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"About Potter . . ." Draco hesitated for a moment, looking to the door as if expecting someone to be listening in, only continuing when he was somehow satisfied that they were truly alone, "Father thinks he might be some _true_ dark wizard, perhaps even more powerful than the Dark Lord. He thinks I should try and befriend him." Draco winced as Dora made a noise that insinuated she did not agree with the suggestion, "Think about it, who else could kill such a powerful wizard when they are only a baby but another at least equally powerful dark wizard."

"First off, there isn't a dark wizard more powerful than The Dark Lord, secondly he isn't dead and if you don't want to be put through a world of pain I suggest you don't let Aunt Bella hear you say such things."

"She's been telling you her stories, hasn't she?" Draco asked.

"More than that, kid." Dora couldn't help but smirk as a look of utter intrigue crossed the boy's face, "Look, I wouldn't expect to find the next Dark Lord in an eleven-year-old orphan."

"How do you explain him, then? If he isn't powerful then how does a baby defeat the Dark Lord." Draco raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"He's not defeated, he'll be back." Dora sighed as Draco rolled his eyes at her, "I would explain it as a very lucky little baby and very bizarre circumstances that no-one really knows. Do you think if we had a rock-solid answer as to how he did it the whole of the wizarding world would still be wondering?"

"I'm not saying it's 'rock-solid'," Draco scoffed, "I'm saying it's my father's theory and I think it's quite a good one."

"Well, of course, you would." Dora rolled her eyes, "Look, maybe it's a good idea to keep an eye on him—I suppose trying to befriend him wouldn't hurt. But either way let me know what he's like, you've gotten me curious."

"Like you weren't already." Draco smirked.

"Hey, I am simply taking an interest in my little cousin's life." Dora shrugged, "Now come on, tell me how you really feel about school and I might feel generous and give away a few secret passage locations I may or may not know about—but don't tell your parents for Merlin's sake."

Draco grinned at the girl, relaxing slightly as he began to talk about his hopes and fears for his next seven years of life. It wasn't until an hour later that Bellatrix came to retrieve her so that they could leave and once they had said their goodbyes Bellatrix did not speak a word to the girl until they had arrived in their specially warded training room back at Lestrange Manor.

"So?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the girl. "What did the boy say about Potter?"

"He's going to keep an eye on him; let me know what he thinks." Dora smirked, she had to admit it had been far easier to talk to the boy about such things than she had originally thought when her Aunt had given her the task. "You should hear some of the things Uncle Lucius is saying about Potter though."

"Like what?" Bellatrix asked curiously.

"Mainly that he thinks that a one-year-old can be an all-powerful dark wizard." Dora couldn't help but laugh along with her Aunt at that comment, though she decided she wouldn't mention the other things Lucius had said to his son. Nymphadora had seen examples of how Bellatrix Lestrange was still fiercely loyal to her lord and personally she didn't want to be the cause of her Aunt trying to kill Lucius Malfoy in a fit of rage. "He said he's going to write to me."

"He best remember." Bellatrix sighed.

"Oh he will—I may have promised to tell him some hidden secrets of Hogwarts that his parents may not be too happy about if they found out."

Bellatrix laughed, speaking sarcastically as she walked across from her niece to take up a duelling stance "Now that is _naughty_ , Dora."

"I learn from the best." Nymphadora smirked, drawing her wand just in time to deflect the first curse from her Aunt as they fell into their routine of training for the day.


	18. The Passage of Time

"I only know what Draco told me in that letter, which you have read—multiple times I believe." Dora sighed, leaning back on the settee as Bellatrix continued to pace the sitting room still clutching said letter in in her hands.

"He thinks it's to do with the heir of Slytherin?" Bella asked.

"That's what the rumour is." Dora nodded.

"Which he thinks is Potter?" Bella asked.

"No, that's what the other children are saying," Dora said, beginning to feel sick as she watched her Aunt pace back and forth.

"Because Potter-" Bellatrix spat the boy's name, "-spoke parseltongue?"

"Yeah, he talked to a snake he threw at him." Dora rolled her eyes, "I mentioned that spell to him as a joke you know, it's bloody pointless to use in a duel. I think he just wanted to scare him you know, or maybe he was trying to show the boy up for not being able to vanish the thing on his own."

"That's not important!" Bella snapped, stopping herself pacing as she saw the woman flinch at her sudden outburst. She took a calming breath before she faced the witch, trying to calm her racing mind. "The Chamber of Secrets is a myth."

"True." Dora agreed, "Though the idea of random students being petrified is strange . . ."

"They're not random." Bellatrix scoffed.

"What, because they're all mudbloods?" Dora asked, sighing as her Aunt nodded. "Maybe it's a coincidence?"

"Maybe it's also a coincidence that I've never killed a Pureblood." Bellatrix scoffed, "No, Nymphadora."

". . . Do you think it's something to do with the heir of Slytherin?" Dora asked, frowning in her curiosity.

"Anything is possible . . ." Bellatrix breathed.

". . . Don't suppose you know any families that are related to Salazar Slytherin?" Dora half-joked.

"It's an ancient line, anyone could be." Rodolphus mused. Nymphadora had half-forgotten that he was there to be honest, sat in his favourite armchair by the fire as he read the days paper. Rodolphus was clearly too used to his wife's erratic behaviour to become too concerned when she got into 'one of her moods'.

"They think Potter is related to Slytherin because he can speak Parseltongue, right?" Dora ignored the look of disgust at the boy's name, continuing on as a sudden idea came to her mind. "Well . . . Didn't The Dark Lord speak Parseltongue?"

This peaked Rodolphus' interest, finally lowering his paper slightly to look to his wife who was currently frozen to the spot as she came to the same realisation Nymphadora had.

"It's him." Bellatrix barely whispered.

"Bella, don't get carried away," Rodolphus warned, "he can't be the only Parseltongue in existence."

"Really?" Bellatrix snapped, glaring at her husband, "Name one other Parseltongue you know—and I swear to Merlin if you say Harry bloody Potter I will curse you before you even _think_ of reaching for your wand."

"It might not be Slytherin's mythical monster, you know." Dora quickly said before Rodolphus could say something that would cause half of the sitting room to get destroyed. "It all seems a little far-fetched . . . Maybe it's just a random student."

"A random student that can petrify another student without getting caught?" Bellatrix snarled, "Unlikely. That's too complicated for some dim-witted student to pull off."

"I would agree," Rodolphus added, secretly grateful that his wife was no longer focused on him with her murderous glare.

"Look, Uncle Lucius is going up the school tonight, why don't we wait and hear from him?" Dora said.

"Lucius is going up the school tonight?" Bellatrix repeated as Dora nodded, "Why?"

"Well he is the chairman of the board of Governors," Dora shrugged, "I can imagine this sort of thing would cause some concern between that lot—besides Draco reckons he's trying to get Dumbledore thrown out."

"About time." Rodolphus smirked, "Good luck to him."

"I think he's up to something," Dora said.

"He's always up to something." Bella spat.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, you know," Rodolphus said. "My father mentioned something similar happening when he was at school."

"What did he say?" Bellatrix looked to her husband, a sense of urgency about her.

"Just that. That some mudbloods got petrified at school when he was at school." Rodolphus rolled his eyes.

"That can't be all he said." Bellatrix insisted.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Dora asked enthusiastically, "I'll come if you want."

"Because I doubt I would get any sense out of his headstone." Bellatrix huffed.

"Oh . . . Sorry." Dora mumbled.

"Your father was at school the same time as him—"

"I would rather curse the man senseless than have a conversation with him!"

"Well, that is one way of getting information . . ." Dora muttered, smiling slightly as Bellatrix laughed in delight at the suggestion.

"He wouldn't tell me." Bellatrix said, "That man doesn't have a helpful bone in his body."

"Well then wait until Uncle Lucius has been to the school, didn't Narcissa invite you over for lunch this week anyway?" Dora asked.

Bellatrix thought for a moment, regarding her niece as an idea clearly popped into the woman's mind. She smirked, then without a moments notice she disapparated. Rodolphus sighed in annoyance, going back to his paper as if the whole affair hadn't happened.

"Where did she go?" Dora asked, slightly concerned as she sat up in her seat.

"Well, I would bet you ten galleons that she has _not_ gone to see her father." Rodolphus smirked, "She's gone to find Lucius, obviously."

"Oh . . . Does that seem wise?" Dora bit her lip, "In the mood she's in . . ."

"She'd probably end up cursing him." Rodolphus chuckled, "Perhaps you should catch up with her, make sure she doesn't get into an argument with her sister again over her treatment of her brother-in-law."

". . . Fine." Dora sighed, slightly annoyed that she was the one to make sure her Aunt was okay rather than the woman's own husband. Though she knew just as well as he did that once Bellatrix got an idea into her head there was little to be done. Nymphadora let out a huff of annoyance as she disapparated for Malfoy Manor.

* * *

The summer of 1993 was so far an uneventful one, it was true that it had barely started but as Nymphadora woke up early one July morning covered in sweat she started to wish for cooler weather again as she took a long cool shower before deciding to pull on her silk nightgown and go and fetch herself a book from the library to read in bed for a while. Bellatrix and Rodolphus were locked away in their bedroom still, Dora assumed they were still asleep though as it was now gone past 9'o'clock and she knew her Aunt and Uncle to be early risers she didn't want to think about why the room was warded as she made her way downstairs. The woman paused as she passed one of the windows on her way downstairs; Narcissa Malfoy was walking rather quickly up the pathway to the manor. As the young woman managed to snap herself out of her thought she ran down the stairs to meet her second Aunt, swearing as she had to grab onto the bannister to stop herself falling down the stairs in her rush. She quickly shooed away the small elf preparing to let Narcissa into the Malfoy, pausing only to quickly check her appearance in the mirror by the door (Dora did not want to give Narcissa an excuse to ask to do her hair for her again) before she opened the door.

"Nymphadora," Narcissa breathed, forcing a polite smile as she entered the manor, pausing to catch her breath. "Where's Bellatrix?"

"In bed still . . . Is everything okay?" Dora frowned, only now noticing the newspaper folded beneath her Aunt's arm. "Why don't we go sit down and I can get the elf to see if Aunt Bella's awake?"

Narcissa nodded, following Nymphadora into the nearest sitting room. "Has something happened?" Dora couldn't help but ask as her Aunt sat on the nearest sofa, "You look . . . worried."

Narcissa sighed, taking the paper from and passing it to her niece, "Front page."

Nymphadora frowned, taking the paper as she went to sit next to her Aunt, the moment she stopped to look at print however her eyes became transfixed on the picture of the familiar man on the front cover. "Sirius . . ." Dora breathed.

"You know him?" Narcissa asked, "I mean, you recognise the picture."

"I—I met a few times when I was little." Dora breathed, "He used to come over to see Mum from time to time, he'd always bring me sweets or some toy that Mum would disapprove of . . ."

"Well, it hardly surprises me that he and Andromeda were still in contact," Narcissa said, a look of distaste on her features.

"He's escaped?" Dora asked, looking to her Aunt as she nodded. "How?"

"No-one knows." Narcissa said, "Though I'm sure Bellatrix would find one way or another to try and prise her nose in at the ministry to find out more information—which there isn't. I thought I'd save her a trip, between you and I Lucius gets a little uncomfortable when she tries to lurk around the ministry for information. She always uses some excuse for her being there that involves him, says she's meeting him for lunch or some other ludicrous excuse. Can you imagine Bellatrix wanting to spend time with Lucius simply because he's her brother-in-law?"

"No . . ." Dora responded, still entirely distracted in thought as she looked down at the photograph. The man looking back at her was nothing like the Sirius Black that she had once known, there was a crazed look in his eyes, his appearance anything but its usual smart look as he yelled up at her trying to pull from his bonds.

"Dora?" Narcissa frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry." Dora took a breath before forcing a smile at her Aunt, "I'm fine."

"Hmm." Narcissa was not convinced, "You know Bellatrix—and Rodolphus for that matter—do not like Sirius, she won't take this well."

"Why, because he was disowned?" Dora asked with a frown, "But he got arrested for getting in with The Dark Lord."

Narcissa let out a scoff of laughter "That man was no more a Death Eater than Albus Dumbledore himself."

"So he _was_ wrongly imprisoned?" Dora asked.

"Most likely," Narcissa shrugged.

"But what about the muggles that died? And Peter Pettigrew?" Dora asked, she had always shared her mother's opinion that her cousin was wrongly imprisoned, hearing it from Narcissa Malfoy only solidified those views for some reason, though she had to admit there were some loose ends to her theory that she couldn't quite explain.

"Well, I don't know what happened there." Narcissa sighed, "Sirius did undoubtedly inherit the Black temper, but I'm not sure he would be capable of murder. Nymphadora listen to me, I may not know much about Death Eater activity back then—it's best not to know—but for Merlin's sake do not go asking your Aunt Bellatrix about this sort of thing."

"Why?" Dora couldn't help but ask, Bellatrix always told her whatever she asked about Death Eater life and she couldn't quite see how this would be any different.

"Because in her eyes it is _her_ who was The Dark Lord's most faithful, contrary to what the papers may say. I talked to her about it when it first happened and she was perfectly adamant that Sirius was never in cohorts with The Dark Lord." Narcissa sighed, "Now I know The Dark Lord has his secrets, Bella would be the first to admit that, but this she is certain on and she gets rather . . . _touchy_ , about the subject."

"So don't ask unless I'm in the mood for a duel?" Dora couldn't help but smirk.

"Something like that." Narcissa smiled sadly as she took the paper back from the girl, calling for the Lestrange house elf and asking it to go and find its mistress for her.

"Sorry, forgot about that," Dora mumbled.

"It's fine." Narcissa smiled sympathetically, squeezing the girls arm, "Why don't you go and get changed out of your night clothes whilst I talk to my sister, hmm? We can go shopping again later on if you like, it's always best to put on a good face in public when things like this happen, we mustn't hide away."

"Right." Dora agreed, blushing slightly as she realised when she checked her appearance before answering the door she had not even realised she was still in her dressing gown. She passed Bellatrix in the hallway, avoiding her gaze in case she decided to see if she knew why Narcissa was at the manor, if what Narcissa said was true she did not want to be the one to deliver the news.

* * *

"I do not want to go, Rodolphus." Bellatrix said for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening.

Rodolphus had come home that evening with the news that, along with the Malfoys, he had been given tickets to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup. Nymphadora was ecstatic to hear that she was invited, she hadn't been able to morph her hair away from bubblegum pink since she had heard the news. But for some reason, Bellatrix was less than enthusiastic.

"We have an invite from the Minister of Magic," Rodolphus asked, "we can't not go."

"We're in the top box." Dora said, "we have to go."

"I'm not saying that you don't have to go, you can go with Rodolphus if you like." Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "I have more important things to be getting on with."

"But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Dora said, frowning as her Uncle chuckled.

"Dora, we get these sorts of things fairly often." Rodolphus said.

"Tell them I'm sick," Bellatrix suggested. "There's something going on, Rodolphus. I can _feel_ it. I need to focus—besides you want me to camp, I hate camping."

"Well I hate camping too, the last time I went I got stuck in the sleeping bag." Dora blushed slightly, busying herself with cutting her steak "It wasn't my fault; the tent was so small I rolled into the pole and panicked."

". . . Right." Rodolphus gave the girl a curious look before he shook his head and looked back to his wife. "Bella that tent is the size of our ballroom, the bedroom is nearly the same size as our own and it has a bath."

"You know," Dora looked to her Aunt, finishing her bite of steak, "there's going to be a lot of people at this thing, including a lot of Ministry officials, aren't there Uncle Rod?"

"Well, they are putting a lot of security in place for it, yes." Rodolphus agreed.

"Well then, if there is something going on maybe this is a good place to try and find out." Dora suggested.

Bellatrix considered the girl for a moment of thought, eventually sighing and rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'll go."

Nymphadora couldn't help but grin, more excited than she could remember being in a long time. She decided to ignore Rod's clear look of displeasure, it was true he had wanted Bellatrix to go, though he also had concerns about his wife trying to snoop around Ministry business. Nevertheless, this event was looking to be an interesting affair.


	19. The Quidditch World Cup

Nymphadora couldn't believe the grand scale of the Quidditch World Cup, there were witches and wizards from all walks of life here and the woman was in awe of it all. They had met with Lucius, Narcissa and Draco earlier in the day, though Bellatrix was far more interested in paying close attention to everything around her than talking to the family (and this was not due to the grand scale of the event) and Narcissa had already tried to kindly tell her niece that bright green hair was perhaps not a good colour to be meeting the Minister of Magic with. Personally Nymphadora thought it was more than appropriate, though she had eventually agreed that her green robes would be enough to show her support of the Irish team without making her Aunt uncomfortable.

"Bellatrix, can you at least pretend to be interested in this match?" Rodolphus sighed as they climbed the seemingly endless staircase up to the top box. "You used to play Quidditch at school for Merlin's sake, it should interest you."

"You were on the Slytherin Quidditch team, Aunt Bella?" Dora asked curiously, her young cousin giving her a slight look of disbelief.

"Your Aunt was a beater, weren't you Bella?" Narcissa said, clearly grasping at any attempt to get her sister to take interest in polite conversation.

"Really?" Draco couldn't help but ask.

"Don't sound so surprised," Bellatrix smirked slightly, "my father highly disapproved of me joining the Quidditch team."

"Which is precisely why you did it." Rodolphus smirked. That made perfect sense to Dora, if she had a father like Cygnus Black she would take great pleasure in annoying him in any possible way she could as well.

"Well, I was good." Bellatrix shrugged.

"We made a good team." Rodolphus agreed. "I enjoyed it."

"Oh please, you only joined that team to get to Bellatrix." Lucius scoffed.

"So what if I did?"

Nymphadora couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle the reaction. Draco looked both confused and slightly disturbed as he watched his Aunt lace her arm around his own, kissing him on the cheek as she reminisced about her Hogwarts days. It was true that Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange barely showed their emotions for each other—or any emotion in general for that matter—outside of their own private company. Perhaps it would have been rather strange to see for Nymphadora too if she wasn't more used to the couple, though unfortunately for her she had walked in on the pair showing far more than emotions to each other before they had gotten used to the fact that they no longer lived alone and had to start using wards on rooms.

As they reached their destination Nymphadora couldn't help but grin at the sight, they could see the whole pitch from here along with the vast crowds that looked small enough to be ants from up here. It was only as she noticed that Draco seemed less than amused at that point that she frowned in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Dora lowered her voice, conscious that her Aunts could clearly hear them as both her Uncles had walked to greet the Minister.

"Potter." Draco spat.

" _Potter?_ " Bellatrix whispered hurriedly. "Where?"

"Over there, with the Weasley's and that mudblood granger." Draco winced as his mother tapped his arm in warning.

"Be careful what you say with such ears around, Draco." Narcissa spoke through gritted teeth and a false smile before going to join her husband, taking her son with her.

Nymphadora looked to her Aunt Bellatrix, wondering what she was thinking and almost going to outright ask her before she nodded towards their seats and took her arm. The younger witch couldn't help but keep a close eye on her Aunt, the woman's barely concealed glare boring into the back of Potters head, she forced the smile to remain on her features above her worry for her Aunt as she went to sit down.

"Miss can't sit there!" a small elf cried, pulling on her bat-like ears as she stared up at her in fright through her big brown eyes.

"How dare you talk to my niece in such a manner." Bellatrix hissed, only stopped from cursing the poor elf as her husband came up behind her and put a hand on her wand arm. The children in front of them had turned to stare, rather indiscreetly, and though she knew not to make a scene in front of the rest of the box Bellatrix finally had an excuse to glare at the decidedly nosey Potter boy and his friends who quickly averted their gaze from the family.

"Winky is sorry," the elf whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut "Winky doesn't like heights, it has made Winky lose sense of her manners. Winky is sorry—I is saving the seat for Mr Crouch."

"Barty Crouch?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow at the elf.

"Y-Yes, Sir." Winky nodded, though she refused to open her eyes again.

"It's fine . . ." Dora muttered, trying to place the look that passed over her Aunt and Uncle's features as she sat in the seat next to the empty chair, conscious that Ludo Bagman had stood ready to begin the match.

As much as Nymphadora had been looking forward to the match itself she couldn't help but become distracted by those around her during the game. The Weasley clan, Potter and their friends seemed enthralled and delighted by the both the match and the entertainment provided (even Bellatrix discreetly grasped on tightly to her husband's hand as the Veela entered the pitch, though Dora feared this was less of a loving move and more of a warning not to embarrass her as she dug her nails into the man's palm). She just couldn't help but be distracted, her Aunt was flitting between glaring at the back of the black haired boy in front of them and checking to make see if Barty Crouch had actually arrived yet. The elf kept on whimpering, eventually trying to cover her own face with her long ears as she became more and more of a snivelling wreck. Dora did eventually manage to gain some interest in the game however, remembering the Omnioculars that her Uncle Lucius had brought both her and Draco a pair of earlier in the day. She even found herself cheering along with the crowds by the end of it, acting completely innocent as her Aunt Narcissa gave her a pointed look at her now green hair acting as if it had done it of its own accord. She didn't care anymore and her lying to her Aunt was the first thing that distracted Bellatrix from her game of glaring with an amused smirk. It was almost sad when the game ended, though she was happy to see her team win. She looked to the rest of her family, Lucius seemed to be deep in conversation with Rodolphus under the roar of applause from the crowd, both Narcissa and Bellatrix clapped politely as the winning team apparently made their way to the top box as the trophy came out. It was at this point that Nymphadora felt someone step on her foot, causing her to let out a yelp of pain.

"You—!" Dora paused as she went to berate the house elf from jumping off of her seat onto her foot when she noted that the creature was still sat as she had been throughout most of the match; with her ears over her eyes shivering through her fear of heights.

"Dora?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the girl "What did you do?"

"I—" Dora looked past the empty seat, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She did not imagine someone stepping on her foot, though it was on the other side to her Aunt and it couldn't have been the children in front of her. She shook her head, taking the opportunity to morph her hair to a silver rather than the Irish green. "Nothing—" She picked the Omnioculars off of her lap as she quickly thought of an excuse, "I dropped these on my knee, you know I'm clumsy." Dora forced a slight laugh, her Aunt did not seem convinced though she was unwilling to suggest that an invisible force had hit her in the foot. Knowing her luck Bellatrix would blame one of the less desirable people in the box and Rodolphus would have to stop her from causing a scene.

"If you say so." Bellatrix said, looking to her husband as he placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning forward to whisper something in her ear. The woman rolled her eyes in annoyance before nodding, though Dora frowned in confusion as the men both got up and made their way away from the box together. "They're going to meet with some friends; Rodolphus will meet us back at the tent."

"You're not going with him?" Dora asked.

"No." Bellatrix said bluntly before lowering her voice so that only Dora could hear her, "He knows better than to ask me to go and join him and a bunch of traitors."

Dora nodded, knowing exactly what sort of traitor Bellatrix meant. She did wonder why Rodolphus still associated with his fellow previous Death Eaters when his wife did nothing but slander them for being traitorous cowards, though she supposed the most of their life was 'putting on a show' to the rest of the world and most of the previous Death Eaters were still highly respected members of the wizarding community.

After the Bulgarian team had left the top box and they had said their polite goodbyes to Bagman and Fudge, Dora began to walk with her Aunt to their tent, secretly grateful she would never have to climb quite so many stairs in her life again.

"He never showed up." Dora mused as she walked through the tents to find their own.

"Crouch?" Bellatrix scoffed, "No, quite frankly I'm glad." Dora went to ask her Aunt what she had against the man when she put her hand up to silence her niece, pointing to a modest looking tent just ahead of them. "Our hovel for the evening."

Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly, following her Aunt up to the tent, though when she got through the entrance she couldn't help but let her jaw drop slightly. This was certainly worlds apart from what she had been used to when her father had taken her camping as a child. If she hadn't known any better she would have sworn she had walked into one of the larger sitting rooms of Lestrange Manor, their house elf—who was just setting down a tray of glasses and a few bottles of wine and whiskey—bowed deeply as they came in.

"Mistress Bellatrix, Mistress Nymphadora." Tilly squeaked, "I have just finished preparing your rooms." Dora had to blink as she realised the staircase to the end of the room the elf was pointing to.

"That should have been ready hours ago, what if we got here early?" Bellatrix hissed.

"Tilly is sorry, Tilly will go iron her hands." Tilly whimpered then with a pop she was gone.

"Not what you're used to?" Bellatrix said with a hint of amusement, causing Dora to blush as she managed to close her jaw.

"Well . . . it's the best hovel I've seen." Dora joked.

Bellatrix smirked as she went to sit on one of the sofa's, reaching out and pouring both herself and Nymphadora a glass of wine as before pointing her wand to the fire to light it. "Stupid elf, can't even remember to do that."

Dora had to shake herself to remember that she probably looked an idiot stood gawping at what was apparently a very normal tent, she had known there were wizarding tents like this though she couldn't imagine that they could be so extravagant and couldn't help but wonder why her father had ever insisted they used the old muggle rubbish with stuff like this around.

"So," Dora took the glass of wine her Aunt offered her as she sat next to her on the sofa, "why do you hate Barty Crouch?"

"Did I say I hate him?" Bellatrix mused as she sipped her wine.

"You didn't need to say anything." Nymphadora said.

"Very intuitive." Bellatrix said, Dora raising an eyebrow in a look that clearly meant for her to go on, the older witch sighed, "He was head of The Department of Magical Law enforcement back during the last war."

"He's the reason that some of the Death Eaters got arrested then?" Dora asked.

"Yes," Bellatrix wrinkled her nose in distaste, taking another rather large sip of her wine then drawing her wand to ensure that the tent was warded before she went on, "he presided over the trial that sent Rodolphus' brother and his own son to prison."

"He sent his own son to prison?" Dora asked, "To Azkaban?"

"Yes." Bellatrix said, glaring at the mere thought of it. "Though don't go talking about such things around Rodolphus . . . as tough as the man may seem to you he does miss Rabastan, he blames himself for the whole matter."

"But Rabastan and Barty Crouch Jr got sent to Azkaban for torturing those two Aurors, didn't they?" Dora screwed up her face in confusion as Bellatrix nodded, "How is that his fault?"

"Really, Dora?" Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh, "Let me ask you this, do you believe that two men who had only just been enlisted as Death Eaters could take down two Aurors on their own?"

"He helped them?" Dora asked, biting her lip as her Aunt shushed her despite the silencing wards she had put on the tent.

"We both did." Bellatrix barely whispered, lost in her memories as she gently swirled the wine around her glass, "The Aurors came and Rodolphus thought it was best if we split up, he should have gone with Rabastan, and I with Barty, but he wanted to go with me . . . I tried to go back to help the boys but he insisted we ran . . ."

"He didn't want you to get caught." Dora breathed, desperate to hear more details about the famous torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom but knowing this was neither the time nor the place to do so.

"He didn't want anyone to get caught," Bellatrix scoffed, "after he heard they had been captured he naïvely thought that they would perhaps be okay—what with Barty's own father judging. But it was a sham trial." Bellatrix spat, "Bastard wanted to make an example out of the pair of them."

"But they didn't give up your names?" Dora asked, "They lied and said they were alone?"

"Well, would I be here if they hadn't?" Bellatrix rolled her eyes as she drained the last dregs from her wine glass before pouring herself another glass and topping up Dora's.

"I suppose not, no."

The two woman continued to talk about various other things, as Nymphadora soon realised that the whole Longbottom incident was a sore subject for the witch and quickly moved on. By the time Rodolphus Lestrange entered the tent again they had consumed little over a bottle of wine between them and Dora was beginning to feel rather merry.

"Rodolphus." Bellatrix grinned as her husband came in.

"Ladies." Rodolphus spoke curtly as he walked over to the table, pouring himself a small glass of fire whiskey and downing its contents before immediately pouring a second glass. "You know, I've been thinking Bella, we don't need to stay in this tent if you don't want to. The match is over and I'm sure you'd both be far more comfortable back in your own beds."

"I don't mind it here." Dora smiled as she put down her wine glass.

"I can tolerate it for one night." Bellatrix said, though she sounded distracted as she looked at her husband more closely.

If Nymphadora hadn't have already had three glasses of wine that evening she might have noticed what her Aunt had, though it was apparent that Bellatrix Lestrange knew her husband too well regardless of the wine that was also making her feel slightly merry by this point. Rodolphus forced a slight smile at his wife, though it was clearly forced.

"How was your talk with your old _friends_?" Bellatrix asked, standing up and taking her husband's glass to gently place it on the table. "Hear anything interesting?"

"No." Rodolphus shook his head, reluctantly letting his wife place her hands on his chest as she pressed herself into him.

"No?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, snaking her arms around him.

"Not in front of the girl, Bellatrix." Rodolphus took the woman's arms, disentangling his wife from himself.

"So tell me what's on your mind, we can go for a walk if you like."

"No." Rodolphus said, "I'm rather tired, why don't we go home and the elf can pack up in the morning."

"Or we could just go to bed, right here." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the man, "What do you think, Dora?"

"I—" Dora winced as she spilt the wine she was trying to pour, drawing her wand to clear up the mess. "I don't mind."

This was clearly not the answer that Bellatrix was looking for as with a huff of annoyance she turned back to her husband. "There is something on your mind, I know it."

". . . You've warded the tent, haven't you? Put a silencing ward on it?" Rodolphus asked.

" _What_?"

"Did you ward the tent?" Rodolphus repeated. "Did you soundproof it."

"Yes, of course I did." Bellatrix snapped, "Why on earth does that matter?"

"I think it's started . . ."

"What's started?" Dora asked, standing up as her Aunt stormed to the entrance of the tent who growled in frustration as Rodolphus grabbed her arm.

"Get off of me!" Bellatrix shrieked, though Rodolphus did not relinquish his grip.

"Do not get involved, Bellatrix." Rodolphus warned, "It's not sensible."

Bellatrix glared at the man for a moment, not moving as he slowly let go of her arm, Dora was unsure if she was about to try and hex him until she suddenly ran from the tent. It was then that she heard the screams. She looked to her Uncle, her eyes wide in a sudden sobering shock.

"Come on." Rodolphus said.

Nymphadora followed her Uncle out of the tent, nearly running into her Aunt as she was stood mere feet from the entrance with her wand drawn. She followed the witches gaze, past the group of tents that had already been set alight to the group she was currently looking to. Dora couldn't help but swear as she saw what was making the surrounding wizarding community scream and flee in terror. There, plain as day, were a group of Death Eaters. Hovering above them were three people who Dora could only assume were the Muggle family that actually owned the campsite. She knew that her Aunt and Uncle had both despised the idea of them being here enough for Rodolphus to have to remind Bellatrix she couldn't kill muggles, it made sense that a group of Death Eaters would pick them as their victims.

"Aunt Bella?" Dora called, unsure of what on earth was happening. If Death Eaters were running amuck why were two Death Eaters stood beside her right now clearly not enjoying the display, why weren't they joining in?

"This is an outrage." Bellatrix growled.

"It's stupid." Rodolphus added.

"Are they . . . acting on orders?" Dora asked, immediately regretting asking as Bellatrix let out a yell of annoyance.

"No, this is all them." Rodolphus shook his head.

"This!?" Bellatrix turned on the man, lowering her voice as she spoke through gritted teeth, "This is what Lucius wanted to talk to you about? Is that where he is?"

"We'll talk about this later." Rodolphus quickly said.

"Should we go?" Dora asked timidly, concerned her Aunt was about to direct her anger at her if she wasn't careful.

"No," Rodolphus shook his head, "it's too late; it will only look suspicious if we're unaccounted for now what with our . . . family connections. Bellatrix, go and find your sister—" the man raised his hand in an attempt to stop his wife's protest, "—you're _concerned for your sister's safety_. Go." Bellatrix looked as if she was about to yell again, though to the girls surprise she merely nodded and ran off in the direction of Narcissa Malfoy, Dora went to follow her but to her surprise she was quickly stopped as Rodolphus grabbed her arm. He leant in close as he lowered his voice so as not to be overheard, "Your cousin is in the woods, go find him. If anyone asks you were fleeing for safety whilst I went to see if I could help. Do you understand? . . . _Do you understand_?"

Dora forced herself to nod, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding as Rodolphus promptly disapparated. She was amazed that she didn't manage to fall flat on her face as she ran through the campsite, jumping over the idiotic small fences around some of the tents and barging past the odd fleeing witch or wizard on her journey. She was sure she wouldn't be able to find her cousin as she sped through the trees in her search, though to her relief she saw him leaning against one of the trees, smirking as a small group of children walked away from him. She groaned in annoyance as she reached out to steady herself on the tree to catch her breath.

"Why have you been running?" Draco raised an eyebrow at the woman.

"To find you," she panted, "Uncle Rod said to get to the woods."

"So you ran?" Draco asked, amusement in his voice, "Rather than apparate?"

". . . If I apparated I might have gone straight past you." Dora quickly defended herself, in truth she had been in such a rush to follow orders in the chaos she hadn't even thought of disapparating. "Who were those kids you were talking to?"

"Potter, Weasley and that mudblood granger." Draco spat, though he couldn't help but smirk as he continued, "Told Granger to watch out unless she wanted to end up with her knickers on show to the world like that muggle."

"Right." Dora sighed as she slipped down the tree to sit on the floor.

"Hardly graceful, are you Nymphie?" Draco mused.

"Shut it, squirt." Dora rolled her eyes, " . . . Where's your father?"

Draco snickered, looking down to his cousin as he nodded back towards the campsite "Where do you _think_ my father is?"

"About to get the full wrath of Bellatrix Lestrange by the sounds of things." Dora suggested.

"Why would—" Draco did not have a chance to finish his question, as suddenly a green eerie light lit the night sky.

Dora was in awe, she had never seen the Dark Mark like that before, only ever on an arm or in old photographs. It looked almost like a star constellation glistening above them; it was beautiful. However, there was no denying the chill it sent up her spine.

"Draco?" Dora called, not taking her eyes off of the mark.

"Yes, Dora?" the boy's voice seemed distant as he was clearly distracted by the mark as well.

"Was that planned?" Dora asked.

"I don't think so, Dora."

"Well . . . Shit."


	20. Diagon Alley

"You dare insult his name with such cheap tricks!?" Bellatrix screeched at Lucius, the man concentrating all of his efforts on not backing away from his sister-in-law as she stormed towards him.

The two families had quickly left the campsite, putting on a show of niceties in front of the group of Ministry wizards they had found their way to before saying they would be returning to their own homes accordingly. Of course, this had not happened. Bellatrix was in a fury and she was not about to allow Lucius to get away with his follies. Bellatrix had grabbed Nymphadora and apparated her straight into the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor (Rodolphus had joined them upon arriving home to an empty manor and promptly realising where his wife had truly apparated to).

"Do not storm into my home and talk to me in such a manner, Bellatrix." Lucius narrowed his eyes at the woman, his gaze periodically flickering to her currently sheathed wand.

" _Talk_ to you in such a manner!?" Bellatrix hissed, "You are lucky I didn't curse you to insanity the moment I found you on that campsite!"

"Bella—" Narcissa spoke in a tone that attempted to soothe her sister, though as soon as her deathly glare turned on herself she could not help but stop in her tracks.

"Don't you _Bella_ me." Bellatrix growled, "Did you know about this?! Did you agree this was a good idea!?"

"Of course I didn't." Narcissa argued, "He talked to Rodolphus first, did he not warn you? I thought you would want to join in, I thought such barbaric activities were just your sort of thing."

"It was not acting on orders! You abandoned him, you denied him so do not give me such rubbish excuses to say you were doing this _for_ him." Bellatrix spat before mocking the man with her childlike tone "What was it you told the Ministry, Lucius? That you were under the imperius? Or did you just throw money at them this time?"

Nymphadora shared a glance with her cousin, both were standing back awkwardly as they were sure they did not want to get in the middle of this particular argument. Though personally Nymphadora couldn't help but agree with her Aunt; she was slowly starting to feel that Bellatrix perhaps should go back to her previous idea of cursing some sense into the blonde idiot.

"I did what I had to keep my family together—we _all_ did." Lucius spoke as calmly as he could, though this calmness only seemed to ignite Bellatrix's fury further. As Rodolphus' spoke the man's name in a warning manner, though it was too late.

"I never abandoned him! I have been searching for him since that night all of those years ago!" Nymphadora was sure she had not seen her Aunt this furious before, it was beautifully terrifying, but Merlin was it fun to watch.

"You know as well as I do that the only reason we did not go to Azkaban for our crimes was because Barty and Rabastan testified that they were the only ones there. We weren't seen." Rodolphus interjected, his voice low as his own anger now bubbled below the surface. "We were never questioned, we only lied to the extent that The Dark Lord had trained us to lie about our activities. _We_ have always been faithful. _We_ continue to search. Whereas _you_ secretly pray that you can live your life undisturbed by your duty."

"I do not—"

"You will be the one begging for mercy when he returns, Lucius Malfoy." Bellatrix hissed, letting her husband take her hand, "We will be the ones rewarded for never stopping. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed you."

"That is enough!" Narcissa cried, causing both Draco and Nymphadora to jump slightly at the rare occurrence of Narcissa Malfoy raising her voice in such a fashion. " _Do not_ talk to my husband like that in our home in front of our son! I will not permit it! Now leave, if you wish to have these sorts of discussions do so in your own home but I have had enough!" Narcissa took a deep breath before she looked to her son, her prim and proper decorum returning instantly going to him and taking his arm in her own. "Come on Lucius, I'm tired and I wish to go to bed."

Nymphadora's jaw nearly fell open, she couldn't believe Narcissa had managed it but sure enough—with one last glare at the Lestrange couple—Lucius Malfoy simply turned and walked the stairs to go to bed.

"He's not worth your efforts." Rodolphus said after a moment of the Malfoy's departure.

"Don't think I've forgotten that you didn't stop this foolishness." Bellatrix scoffed and without a moment's notice, she gripped tightly onto her husband's hand and disapparated, leaving Dora dumfounded before she quickly returned home to the manor.

It was that night's incident that had led Nymphadora Tonks to be left in Diagon Alley to shop with Narcissa alone that day. It had been previously planned that Bellatrix would go with them, but since that night Bellatrix had decided her anger had temporarily stretched to her sister too. Nymphadora didn't mind spending time with her Aunt Narcissa, though as she sat in Twilfit and Tatings watching her pick out yet another dress that she thought would be 'perfect for her complexion' Dora was starting to get bored.

"You know," Dora sighed as she stood up from the wall she was leaning on, "it may suit me today, but what about tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that shade of pink might look 'lovely' on me today, but what if tomorrow I decide I want florescent orange hair?"

"You wouldn't suit florescent orange hair." Narcissa shrugged, though she put the dress back regardless.

"Well, I could change my appearance to make myself suit it." Dora smirked, "Aunt Bella said it doesn't matter what colour hair I have anyway and I agree; my hair should not be restricted because of my dress colour."

"You cannot have a wardrobe full of black dresses, Nymphadora." Narcissa shook her head as the girl went to the darker dresses.

"I'm not saying _black_." Dora rolled her eyes before running her hand through the dresses, "This is a very dark green, this is a very dark blue, this is a _very_ dark red—"

"They're near black."

"Aunt Bella wears a lot of black." Dora argued.

"Yes well if I thought I had any chance of convincing my sister to put a bit of colour in her wardrobe I would but she is a lost cause." Narcissa rolled her eyes, though she walked over to the darker dresses anyway.

"I don't think Aunt Bella would suit pale pink frocks." Dora grinned, "Could you imagine it?"

"No." Narcissa couldn't help but laugh. "But you would suit it . . . amuse me, Nymphadora. I've never had a daughter to play dress up with."

Nymphadora considered the woman for a moment, a playful smirk on her lips before she sighed dramatically, "Go on then. But I get the final say—and you're paying."

"Well, that hardly matters to me." Narcissa scoffed, looking rather smug with herself as she went back over to the more colourful dresses.

Nymphadora watched her Aunt for a few moments, though soon decided it was best not to watch what colourful hideous things she was pulling out as she went to look out of the window instead. The street was quite quiet, considering that it was the height of summer and the students would be returning to Hogwarts soon, though children still ran along the street with their exhausted parents in tow. Nymphadora smiled wistfully at the sight, remembering when that had been her own mother running after her. That was when she saw her, jumping in shock at the sound of the hat stand Dora had previously had her hand on tumbled to the floor.

"Oh Dora, what are you doing?" Narcissa frowned.

"N-Nothing." Dora clambered to get to the fallen stand, busying herself with righting it and ensuring the hat was on just right, "Stumbled—It's hot in here."

Narcissa frowned at the girl for a moment, "Why don't you get some air?"

"I couldn't leave you in here alone." Dora shook her head, her eyes flickering to Andromeda Tonks walking closer towards the shop as the girl could begin to feel her heart beat in her chest. She wasn't sure why, but out of all the people that she could possibly bump into the person she would want to see least in the world was undoubtedly her mother. They had not left on good terms, she knew that seeing the woman in public would be awkward but it was an awkwardness she had managed to go years avoiding and she planned to keep it that way. It was as it became obvious that her mother was walking straight to the shop however that there was only one way to attempt to avoid it. "I'm going to get a drink!" Dora rushed, "Get whatever you want, I don't care—I'll come find you later."

"Dora—"

It was too late. The small brass bell chiming above the door seemed to echo through her entire being. Narcissa stopped and stared at the woman, a slight look of realisation coming over her before in a flash it was replaced by her usual pureblood mask devoid of any emotion as her once sister mimicked the same appearance.

"Narcissa." Andromeda said curtly, though the blonde witch merely let out a small sound of acknowledgement. It was then that the older witch moved her gaze, spotting her only child standing rigid, hopelessly trying to portray the same air of uncaring as she tucked a stray strand of black hair behind her ear. The two witches locked eyes, neither saying a word to each other as they stood in an awkward silence.

"I didn't think you could afford to shop in places such as this, Andromeda." Narcissa said quickly, a harsh sting to her words though as Andromeda Tonks pulled her gaze away from her once daughter the youngest witch could not help but feel grateful for the interruption to their silent staring contest.

"I have disposable income, Narcissa." Andromeda said to her sister, her tone making it sound as if she was merely discussing the weather in contrast to responding to such an insult. "I don't have many expenses nowadays."

Nymphadora forced herself to stay still, sharing a discreet glance with her Aunt as she prayed for the ground to swallow her whole. It was at that moment that the shop owner came to the front of the store, completely disregarding the obvious tension in the room as she greeted her newest customer. It was as Andromeda began to speak to the shop owner that Nymphadora decided she couldn't stay there anymore.

"I'll come find you later, Aunt Cissa." Dora tried to sound as strong and confident as her Aunt could, though she feared the emotion in her voice seeped through as Andromeda turned slightly at the sound of her voice. She didn't care. She quickly went to the door, leaving the shop door banging shut behind her as she made a break for Knockturn Alley determined to get a strong drink at the White Wyvern to attempt to calm her nerves. It was as she got to the entrance of the street that she felt the hand on her arm. She quickly turned, her hand reaching for her wand on instinct though freezing as she saw her mother staring back at her. The emotion on her mother's face was showing clearly now (though Dora suspected it was still showing far less emotion than what the woman was truly experiencing), it took a few moments for the metamorphmagus to regain her senses before she snapped "Get off me!"

Andromeda immediately let go of the woman's arm "Dora . . ." she breathed, "how are you?"

"How am I?" Dora couldn't help but laugh, not having to see her mother's eyes glance to her hair to know that her previously black hair was turning red. "Are you being serious? You don't talk to me for five years and that's your first question?"

"I—" Andromeda winced slightly as she tried to think of something better to say, "I worry about you."

"Well don't." Nymphadora snarled. "You disowned me, mother."

"You left me no choice!" Andromeda snapped, though quickly tried to compose herself as she took note of the witches and wizards watching them as they walked past. "You were the one that wanted to leave."

"Because you wouldn't even let me talk to my own Aunt!" Dora did not care if people were watching her, especially if it made Andromeda Tonks uncomfortable, "I had to go live with Aunt Bellatrix and Uncle Rodolphus, they care far more than you ever did."

"Dora they're—I'm not getting into this argument again." Andromeda shook her head, "I just want to know you're safe—that you're happy."

"A lot happier than I ever was living with you." Dora hissed, "I have freedom, I can do anything I want and Aunt Bella encourages me every step of the way—unlike you."

"Dora, I cared, I still care." Andromeda said, taking a deep breath to control her emotions before she shook her head. "She's gotten to you too much . . . just maybe try to write to me and tell me you're still alive for Merlin's sake. If not for me for your father, he misses you. The whole situation upset him terribly . . ."

"Well, we know who is to blame for that." Dora glared at the woman, turning on the spot just as she was going to speak and storming off down Knockturn Alley. She didn't care, her mother didn't care about her, not truly, so why should she care about her? She couldn't remember the last time she was so angry, determined to scream and break something in her anger as her internal dialogue ran rampant in her mind.

She wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Perhaps if she was she would have realised that the reason she fell over as she went to duck into a side alley to calm herself was not due to her own clumsiness but a tripping hex. Perhaps she would have heard the footsteps of the man that had been followed her, having listened to her entire conversation with her mother from the shadows of Knockturn. It was only as the strange hooded man approached her that she realised what was going on. But as she lay on her stomach, her hands grazed from the fall, she didn't stand a chance as she scrambled for her wand.

She hissed in pain as a hand pulled on her hair to pull her from the floor, the other hand digging a wand into the small of her back. She didn't even get a chance to think to yell for help as with a feeling of pure dread she was forced into side along apparation.


	21. Where Loyalties Lie

Nymphadora struggled the instant she felt solid ground beneath her feet, a strong pair of arms surrounding her despite her struggle.

"Get off!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, helplessly trying to get to her wand.

"Stop it." The voice hissed in her ear, manoeuvring her in his arms for a moment before she felt the undeniable sensation of a wand being pressed directly into her gut. "Stop it now or I'll kill you where you stand." She took a deep breath, stilling herself immediately. "Good." Amusement laced the man's voice as he pushed her away from himself, laughing as she almost fell flat on her face before he grabbed onto her shoulder to steady her, the wand now digging into her back. "Now walk."

Dora did as she was told, she had no other choice. Though as she walked forward she tried to remember every last thing her Aunt had ever taught her about escaping a captor. She took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in a very old building, potentially an old home, a grand home at that. The floors and walls were made of stone, each window covered by what must have once been expensive and potentially beautiful curtains that were now dank with dust and age and covered in moth holes. She closed her eyes for a moment to think, her nostrils soon notifying her of an offensive smell of decay. Her eyes snapped open as the man stopped her momentarily. A gasp of shock couldn't help but leave her lips as she looked down to see a large snake slither past her, across her path in pursuit of a mouse quickly trying to scurry out of its way.

"Watch your step." The man chuckled.

"What is this place?" Dora breathed, trying to turn to face the man only to hiss in pain as a jolt of a stinging hex coursed through her.

"Be quiet." He said, opening the large old wooden door he had walked her up to and pushing her so violently ahead of himself that she fell straight to the floor. This time she immediately went for her wand, though just as she almost had her grip on it she watched in dread as it zoomed out of its holster. She turned instead to face the man. He was wearing a large dark cloak, a heavy hood pulled up causing his face to fall into shadow.

"Who are you?" Dora spoke as confidently as she could despite her position.

The man was eerily silent for a few moments, seemingly considering the girl as she saw the outline of a smirk underneath the shadows of his face. He shoved the witches wand into his pocket, taking his time in his movements before he reached up to pull the hood from his face. It was then that she recognised him instantly. His straw blonde hair, pale complexion and brown eyes had only stared up at her from a newspaper the previous day. After the events at the Quidditch World Cup Nymphadora had needed to know more about the events that surrounded her Aunt and Uncles close escape from Azkaban and as she had been helping her Aunt search for The Dark Lord for some time now anyway it seemed the perfect excuse—though her Aunt had assured her there was nothing to be found in the particular paper out of the hundreds she had collected over the years. Though clearly much older now, the man before her was still immediately recognisable to her.

"Barty Crouch . . ." Dora breathed, her jaw slack and eyes slightly wide as the man barely acknowledged her, instead now looking directly behind her.

"You have brought a guest to us, Crouch?" a cold and high voice came from behind her, immediately causing the girl to try to turn to see the speaker though a quick hex from Barty prevented this. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I've seen her with the Lestrange's," Barty said quickly, "and I just overheard her saying she lives with them, My Lord."

Nymphadora's mind began to race. How had this man seen her before? She had never seen him in her life. Why was he calling him 'My Lord'? Who was he— _No . . .Surely not?_ Dora tried and failed to calm her thoughts, sure that the look of pure shock was more than apparent on her features.

". . . Show me her."

Dora didn't struggle this time, she let the man walk over to her, she was in too much shock to protest. He grabbed her arm firmly, pulling her to her feet and turning her on the spot. The room seemed apparently empty, an old rug covered the floor, a fireplace was roaring with warming flames to the side and an old armchair sat with its back to her. She almost tripped yet again as he marched her forward, yelping in surprise as he nearly instantly threw her to the floor again.

"Now now, Barty, be gentle with our guests." The high voice laughed before taking on a demanding tone like a flick of a switch. "Look at me, girl."

Dora pulled herself up from the floor, not daring to stand as she instead remained seated. She slowly lifted her head, pulling the curtain of her now white hair from her features. She didn't know how she stopped herself screaming—or vomiting for that matter, either one was just as likely with her nerves combined with what she could now see. The thing before her was barely human, with pale almost translucent skin, a body of an overgrown babe wrapped in a dark piece of fabric that almost covered its face. Though the bright piercing red eyes stared back at her clear as day, causing her insides to writhe as she felt as if her very soul was being inspected.

"You live with the Lestrange family?" it asked her.

Dora hesitated for a moment, barely able to find her voice before she let out a quiet "Yes."

"Yes, _My Lord_." Barty hissed from behind her.

"Yes, My Lord." Dora repeated instantly, not questioning the man's comment nor the apparent amusement of the thing in front of her that she was now certain was what was left of The Dark Lord Voldemort.

"Yet you seem too old to be Bella's child, I cannot recall her having a child . . ."

"She's her niece, My Lord." Barty interjected, stepping forward and bowing his head, "Daughter of her blood traitor sister and the _mudblood_ , this is what I heard."

"Yet you live with Bellatrix and Rodolphus?" Voldemort asked in a curious tone. "Why not your parents?"

"I do not associate with filth." Nymphadora was almost surprised at her automatic answer, one that she soon knew was the correct answer as a high laugh filled the room.

"No . . . You associate with traitors, those who abandon their cause."

"No!" Dora protested, fear instantly returning to her as she felt Barty press his wand to her neck, "They are not, they looked for you—they still look! That is nearly all Aunt Bella does, she looks and she looks and she drives herself insane going over every last fact trying to find you. She is loyal to you—they both are. I-Ah!" Dora hissed as Barty grabbed her hair suddenly, yanking her back into himself.

"Watch your tone!" Barty hissed.

"She is fine . . . for now." Voldemort said, "What is your name girl?"

"Nymphadora." Dora said, quickly adding "My Lord."

"Tell me, _Nymphadora_ , if they are as loyal as you say they are, why they are not here already beside me?"

"They've been looking," Dora winced as Barty let go of her hair, though still stood uncomfortably close behind her, "they've been looking for any little sign."

"There have been more than 'little signs', girl." He hissed.

"P-Please, My Lord." Dora swallowed hard before she forced herself to look at him again with a pleading gaze, "My Aunt and Uncle are loyal to no-one but you. Ever since I met Aunt Bella when I was nearly ten years old that's all she's ever been focused on—she's spent years training me to—" Dora couldn't help but blush slightly, looking down from the man's piercing gaze, "She's spent years training me to serve you when you return."

"Has she now?" The man spoke, silence hanging heavy in the room for what felt like a small eternity until he spoke again "Where are Rodolphus and Bellatrix now, Nymphadora?"

"I—Aunt Bella is probably at home, I think Uncle Rod might be too." Dora said.

"Barty." The man stood to attention as his master called his name, "Give the girl her wand, she can go and fetch dear Bella and Rodolphus for us, let me be the judge of where their loyalties lie." Dora quickly scrambled to her feet as her wand was pressed back into her hand, going to leave the room before The Dark Lord called to her again. "Nymphadora, do not think of not returning here."

"Never . . . My Lord." Dora breathed before disapparating on the spot.

She ran through the front doors of Lestrange Manor, ignoring the poor house elf who had immediately appeared ready to take her things for her. "Aunt Bella!" Dora screamed, running throughout the corridors barely managing to keep on her feet in her haste, "Uncle Rod!" she ripped open door after door, determined to find her Aunt and Uncle as quickly as possible. It was just as she was about to run into the dining room that Nymphadora screamed in fright, jumping back and falling into the wall as Bellatrix Lestrange apparated right in front of her.

"What?" Bellatrix snapped, clearly not appreciating the girl's antics of running and screaming. Bella frowned however as she took in the girl's appearance, the young witch panting for breath, her white hair a wild mess and her clothes dishevelled. "Where have you been? . . . What did you do?" Bella raised her eyebrows at the girl as she shook her head frantically.

"Where's Uncle Rod?" Dora demanded.

"At the Ministry." Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Answer my question."

"No time." Dora panted, "We need to go get him."

"He'll be back later." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Really, Nymphadora tell me why you're in such a state. You didn't get caught cursing someone again, did you? Because you're not a child anymore, it can't be explained away quite so easily."

"No," Dora snapped, " _we need to go and get Rodolphus._ "

Bellatrix considered the girl for a moment, crossing her arms and tilting her head. "No. If you want him that badly go and get him yourself."

"No!" Dora panicked as her Aunt went to walk away from her, grabbing her arm despite the woman's hiss of annoyance. "I need both of you!"

Bellatrix hissed, glaring "Then tell me why, girl!"

"Because I found him!" Nymphadora blurted out in her desperation.

"If you've found Rodolphus then why on earth are you asking me where he is!?"

"I—" Dora took a deep breath, ignoring the frustration on her Aunts face as she tore her arm away from her, "Who's in the Manor?"

"What?"

"Are we alone!?"

"Yes!" Bellatrix growled, "Now you listen to me Nymphadora Tonks, you tell me what on earth you are blabbering about or—"

"I found The Dark Lord!" Dora quickly "Well, he found me—well not him, someone else caught me but then he took me to him. But I know where he is now."

"You . . ." Bellatrix staggered back slightly as she reached out for the nearest wall. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was slack, Nymphadora would have sworn the woman had stopped breathing. " _How? . . ._ Where is he?" Bellatrix quickly snapped her gaze back up to her niece.

"I was in Diagon Alley, went to go to The White Wyvern to get a drink and I—I bumped into someone I used to know." Nymphadora decided she was not about to get into the conversation of how she had ended up in a screaming match with Andromeda Tonks in the middle of Diagon Alley, shaking her head. "Anyway, I was overheard saying that I live with you now basically. Then I was sort of kidnapped down an alleyway by Barty Crouch Jr."

"By Ba—Barty is _dead_." Bellatrix shook her head, her mind too full of thought.

"He's not." Dora breathed.

Silence hung in the air, the two witches blankly staring at each other in bewilderment and shock of the entire situation until Bellatrix suddenly came to her senses with a jolt. She stormed to the girl and took her hand. "Take me to him—Take me to The Dark Lord."

"H-He wants you and Rod, he said I had to take both of you back." Dora spluttered.

"He will understand, Nymphadora!" a mad desperation shone across the woman's face, now grabbing both of her arms as she interrupted the girl's protests. " _Trust me._ "

Many thoughts went through the girl's head, wondering what on earth would happen if he _didn't_ understand, what if he became angry? Though her Aunt obviously knew The Dark Lord far better than she could ever hope to and as she stared into the woman's desperately pleading dark eyes she nodded slightly. She grabbed onto her arms tightly, disapparating with her Aunt in tow. Bellatrix immediately let go of her, looking around the same hallway Nymphadora had been apparated to earlier.

"I know this place . . ." Bellatrix said to herself, thinking for a split second before without warning she walked off in the direction of the room The Dark Lord had been in. Nymphadora didn't even question how her Aunt knew where to go, silently following her. Though the two soon stopped in their tracks as the door opened. Bellatrix let out a breath of astonishment as Barty Crouch Jr stepped into the light. "Barty . . . It's true, you're _alive_."

"Seems that way." The man gave a devilish grin as he looked to his fellow Death Eater, laughing after the woman stayed silent "Makes a change for you to be lost for words. Where's Rodolphus, Nymphadora?"

"A-At the Ministry." Dora responded.

"Not following orders already?" Barty raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"I made her bring me." Bellatrix said, walking towards the man. "Where is he?"

Barty nodded towards the room behind him, as the two witches walked forward however he held his hand up. "Only you, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix didn't even hesitate, walking straight past her niece and quickly hurrying into the room behind him not even flinching as the door closed. "My Lord?" she called in confusion to the seemingly empty room.

". . . Come here, Bellatrix." The oh so familiar voice called out, sending shivers down her spine in such a beautiful and familiar way she had been craving for so many years.

She walked forward immediately, turning on the spot and dropping to her knees without hesitation as she saw the strange figure in the armchair. It was not how she remembered her Lord to look, not at all, but she immediately recognised him crying "My Lord!" as she bowed her head in submission to the man despite her intense need to stare at him and never look away.

"Where is Rodolphus?"

"At the Ministry. Nymphadora said you wanted him too but she was in a panic and I had to see you—but I swear I will get him the moment I leave here, My Lord!" Bellatrix rushed.

"You will . . ." Voldemort agreed, "Look at me."

Bellatrix didn't hesitate, looking straight into his piercing red eyes. She was bursting with emotions, the dire need to serve her master, to look at him and no-one else for the rest of her life, the pure joy and astonishment that after all of these years she was in front of her master yet again. She didn't notice as all of her emotions brimmed to the surface and a single tear left her heavy-lidded eyes. "My Lord, I have looked for you—I have never given up hope."

"Yet you did not find me." Voldemort said.

"I tried, My Lord!" Bellatrix pleaded, "I devoted my life to finding you! To preparing for your return, even!"

"So I have been told . . . You have been spending your time training the daughter of a blood traitor and _mudblood_ to take up arms and join my ranks. Is this more important than devoting all of your time to finding me? As it is apparent your attempts to find me were unsuccessful."

"She's a metamorphmagus, My Lord." Bellatrix blurted, "A powerful one too. I spotted her years ago and put all of my instincts to murder the offspring of my blood traitor sister and her mudblood," Bellatrix spat at the mention of the pair, "so that you could have the perfect soldier and tool for your return, My Lord. I have been looking for you too, I never stopped I—"

"Enough." Voldemort said, though the anger that Bellatrix expected to hear in his voice was not present. Bellatrix looked down, like a cowering a wounded dog as she swiped at her passionate tears.

"You have remained faithful?"

"Always, My Lord." Bellatrix spoke with strength, not more certain of anything in the world as she made herself look back up to her master.

"Good . . ." Voldemort mused. "You can return to my service."

"Thank you, My Lord!" Bellatrix gasped, "I will not fail you, My Lord! I—"

"Silence." Voldemort said, amused as the witch instantly obeyed his command, "Now listen . . ."

* * *

Nymphadora stood awkwardly in the corridor, shuffling on her feet as Barty closed the door behind her Aunt. He tilted his head in her direction, considering her with his steady gaze. She didn't know how to act, what to say—if she should say anything. She couldn't help but blush slightly as the older man chuckled.

"Come on, Nymphadora." Barty gestured for her to follow him, the witch hesitating as she looked at the door again, "They may be a while." Despite her fears, she followed him, down the corridor past a few doors before he slipped into another room, a small library, with her right behind him. She forced herself not to say anything as she watched a short, grubby, balding man jump at the sight of the pair. "Get out, Wormtail. It's not like you're actually _reading_." Barty snarled, the man barely hesitating to scurry from the room, his beady eyes met the woman's own as with a sense of frightened curiosity he left.

"So . . ." Barty mused after a few minutes of awkward silence, flashing his grin at the girl, "scared?"

"Why would I be scared?" Dora was amazed at how calm she now sounded, even as the man laughed at her.

"Well, your hair turned white the minute I grabbed you—does your hair reflect your mind?" Barty said, smirking as the girl screwed up her features and forced her hair to turn a long black similar to her Aunt's.

"You . . . shocked me." Dora said, "It's not nice to jump on someone in the middle of Knockturn Alley you know."

"Well I'm not very nice, am I?" Barty joked.

"No."

"Aw," Barty gave a slight pout, leaning against one of the bookshelves, "don't hurt my feelings, Nymphie."

"Don't call me Nymphie." Dora said, narrowing her eyes at the man as he laughed yet again.

"Well, _Nymphadora_ is a bloody ridiculous name." Barty shrugged, "Take it Andromeda came up with that one? I met her a couple of times, she always seemed a bit . . . well, like she had a stick stuck up her butt." Dora had to stop herself cracking a smirk of amusement at the remark, "What are you doing with your Auntie Bella anyway? You're a _half-blood_ , most definitely not the sort that she usually associates with."

"What are _you_ doing in a dilapidated building with The Dark Lord and a homeless looking man?" Dora raised an eyebrow, "You're supposed to be dead and buried in Azkaban prison."

"I didn't like it much there, didn't stay long." Barty shook his head, walking across the room and letting himself fall into a dusty old armchair. " _You_ avoid questions, why?"

"Maybe I don't take well to people who pull on my hair and throw me about." Dora crossed her arms, swearing to Merlin that she would wipe the man's grin off of his face if she was given half the chance; she did not enjoy his apparent amusement of her.

"Keep it for the bedroom, right?" Barty laughed yet again as the witch blanched at the comment. "Oh come on, _Nymphadora_ , lighten up. Take a seat." Dora glared at the man as he rolled his eyes at her hesitance, summoning a book as he relaxed back into his chair, "I don't know, a young woman walks right on into this place and I can't even have some fun. You're just like your mother."

"I am _not_ like my mother." Dora hissed, though she gave in to his request and perched on the edge of another chair some distance from the man.

"If you say so." Barty smirked.

The woman sat in silence for the rest of their time together, silently seething at her annoyance of the man. Looking back on it however she had to admit it was a welcome distraction from whatever was going on with her Aunt and The Dark Lord at the moment. She still had so many questions she wanted answers to, however. Like how the Dark Lord had survived that infamous night at Godric's Hollow, how Barty Crouch Jr had not only escaped Azkaban but faked his own death, what was going to happen next? She was snapped from her thoughts as she heard the familiar sound of her Aunt's heels clicking on the floor on her approach to her.

"Dora . . ." Bella called, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder once she had approached her though she stared at Barty.

"Dora? Now that's better than Nymphadora I suppose." Barty mused. "I still think I prefer Nymphie."

To her niece's surprise her Aunt let out a small laugh, shaking her head before she looked down to her niece, "Come on, pet. We're going."

"So soon?" Barty raised an eyebrow at the pair.

"We'll be back." Bellatrix said.

The man considered the pair for a moment before he let out a dramatic sigh, putting his book down before he simply upped and left the room. Before she knew it Nymphadora was back at Lestrange Manor with her Aunt. It was all so surreal; to be stood within the grand, pristine halls of Lestrange Manor in such contrast to the old rotting place they had just come from.

"Aunt Bella?" Bellatrix smirked, raising an eyebrow at the girl in acknowledgement. "What did he say?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Bellatrix sighed, a contentment on her features that Nymphadora couldn't deny was slightly disturbing. She had never seen her Aunt quite so happy and relaxed. "We will go back tomorrow with your Uncle."

"Where are we going?" the man in question asked as he walked down the hall towards the pair having apparently heard their entrance.

A grin immediately lit Bella's features as she let out a squeal of excitement, running into her husband's arms and planting a kiss firmly on his lips. "To The Dark Lord."

"To the—" Rod's eyes went wide, "you found him?"

"Dora did—in a funny sort of way." Bellatrix giggled, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck as he looked as if he was trying to solve a particularly difficult sum in his mind. "It doesn't matter. He's back—We just came back from there—We're going again tomorrow!"

"You— _What?_ " Rodolphus asked, trying to step back from his wife though she continued to cling to him in her ecstatic joy.

"Shh, Roddy." Bellatrix cooed, kissing the man again, "Tomorrow."

"Bellatrix, you need to—"

Dora did not hear what her Aunt had to do, for without a second's notice her Aunt had disapparated with her husband. She let out a laugh as she thought of the look on her Uncle's face. She made her way back up to her room, quickly shutting her door behind her and collapsing on the bed, Dora was sure that her mind would never stop racing with the day's events. As terrifying as it had been to be taken by wand point by a strange (and decidedly annoying) man, thrown in front of the Dark Lord and feel her very own life in peril she couldn't help the grin that was on her features now. Her Aunt's joy was infectious. It wasn't until hours later that Nymphadora realised that she had left her Aunt Cissa alone in Diagon Alley, bursting into laughter at the thought, she decided Narcissa could look after herself.


	22. Mad-Eye Moody

Nymphadora stared at her reflection in the mirror, her hair fell below her shoulders in tight blonde curls, her eyes a dull green and her facial features general facial features rearranged to make her unrecognisable. She let out a deep breath, adjusting her short leather jacket, vest top and denim skirt before she slipped on her small black flat shoes. She was not used to wearing such cheap and casual clothes, she was sure if her Aunt saw her wearing such things she would either laugh or tell her she looked like some sort of common scum, though The Dark Lord had asked her to change her features and dress in case she was seen and so she had. She was almost glad that he had told Nymphadora to come alone today, though once she had been told the task she was needed for she couldn't help but feel the mixture of excitement and nerves rising in her stomach. She flinched as a man snickered from behind her.

"What's so funny?" Dora snapped, turning to glare at Barty Crouch Jr.

"You." He said simply with a shrug of his shoulders, "You're like a little first year at school getting all nervous about their first lesson."

"This is hardly a lesson." Dora rolled her eyes.

"No . . . Though it will be your task to give a full report, seeing as I'll be otherwise occupied." Barty smirked, picking up his bag as he placed the last bottle of polyjuice potion within it.

". . . I don't understand why I can't just impersonate the man." Dora rolled her eyes, "I can morph whereas you can forget to take your potion—or run out."

"You?" Barty laughed, "You're not even a Death Eater, Nymphie. You have to earn that title and you can't earn it doing something as important as this. You've not proven yourself to be trusted with such a task. Besides, I'm far more skilled."

"That's what you think." Dora scoffed, "I could beat you in a duel any day."

"And maybe one day I'll test you on that," Barty laughed, "but for today we have a job to do. Are you ready to come play with a _real_ Death Eater?"

Dora gritted her teeth, glaring at the man before she shook her head, "You're infuriating."

"Why thank you." Barty grinned, pulling his hood up before striding over to the woman, taking her hand and disapparating.

She immediately regretted her choice of outfit as she gasped at the sensation of the warm summer's rain splattering down on her, decidedly ignoring Barty's smirk of amusement as he looked around them. It didn't seem like a place that a once renowned Auror would live, in the middle of a muggle inhabited street lined with houses that weren't even as nice as her own childhood home. It was decidedly run of the mill and particularly dreary if you asked her, faint lights coming from the odd house as the streetlights barely lit the small street.

"He could have wards around his house, so he might know when we enter the garden—perhaps even before that." Dora said.

"Well done, Miss State-the-obvious." Barty rolled his eyes, nudging the woman to walk alongside him as he approached the building, bold as brass. "That's why we just walk in there—we'll try to sneak in the side door if we can but I doubt that would go undetected. He's not the sort to come and start a duel in his front garden in the middle of the night with Muggles around. He'll think he's smart and let us get in to try and take us down inside. I've seen it before. Just . . . keep your wits about you."

Dora didn't say anything, unable to ignore her heart now beating five times its usual rate as she kept a tight grip on the handle of her wand in her waistband. She let Barty lead her to the small side alley between Moody's house and his neighbours, swearing as she trod in a puddle much to Barty's amusement. The man was right, with a simple spell the door opened, letting them into the small house before the pair quickly shut the door behind them. Barty gave the girl a look, gesturing for her to draw her wand as he quickly cast _Homenum Revelio._

"Stick close to me." Barty breathed, "I'm not sure I'd be blameless if you got arrested on your first task."

"I'm fine." Dora hissed, though she followed the man into the building.

The place was seemingly empty, though she knew that wasn't the case. As Barty led her through the dark hallway she was beginning to think this would be easier than she thought, that was until she felt him grab her arm to pull her down as a spell went whizzing past her head scorching the wall behind her. Barty was quick to start duelling, firing curses up at the man currently stood at the top of the stairs in his pyjama's. Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody certainly looked as if he was living up to his name, a look of crazed determination on his features as he powered spells at them. Dora quickly brought up a shield, allowing them both to advance up the staircase despite the onslaught of spells. The ex-Auror backed away, leading them to stand in the upper hallway as all three tried to get a shot in at each other.

"You are supposed to be dead, Crouch!" Moody growled through gritted teeth as he deflected one of Nymphadora's carefully aimed curses.

"Clearly not!" Barty laughed. "Didn't do as good a job of keeping me away as you thought, did you Mad-Eye?"

"We'll soon put that to rights," Mad-Eye responded, "I can have a cell ready for the both of you in no time."

"No, thank you." Dora smirked, the thrill of the fight starting to fill her as she raised her wand ready to strike another curse at the man. That was when with a flash of light the world went dark.

"Nymphadora!" a voice growled in her ear.

"No . . ." she murmured, immediately screwing her eyes shut at the bright light seeping through her eyelids.

"Get _up_."

Dora groaned as she felt a strong hand pulling on her arm, forcing her into a sitting position. Her head was spinning, a sharp pain in her temple as she hissed at the sensation. She forced herself to open her eyes, sighing as she saw Barty's face mere inches from her own.

"What happened?" Dora mumbled.

"You left yourself open, got knocked out, I healed you." Barty rolled his eyes, "Clearly you're not as skilled as you thought you were—that or your Aunt's cockiness has rubbed off on you. You know she can get away with that shit because she is far more skilled than you are, right?"

"I—" Dora stopped herself speaking, looking around as she realised she was still in Moody's hallway. "What happened?"

"You've already asked that." Barty chuckled before without warning he pulled the witch to her feet and took her into the nearby open door. Alastor Moody was laid unconscious on the floor of what was presumably his bedroom, his hands and feet bound. "I got him . . . come on, help me."

"How did you get him?" Dora asked, watching the man pull out one of the potions bottles from his magically enhanced bag.

"With skill." Barty shrugged.

Dora rolled her eyes, looking around the room and frowning as she noticed the man's wooden leg laying splintered to the side, "You blasted his leg off?"

"Well, he struggled to get a balance enough to duel after that one." Barty chuckled, "Fix it for me, I'll need it."

"Fine." Dora sighed, walking over and casting a quick Reparo on the item. She lifted it up and turned back to the man only to wince as she watched him pull a handful of hair out of the older man's head. "Aren't you going to need his eye, too?"

"Ergh." Barty summoned the eye, wrinkling his nose as the small sphere whizzed around in his hand for a moment before he placed it down on the cabinet behind him. "I am not looking forward to—"

"Shh!" Dora hissed.

"Wha—?"

" _Shh!_ " Dora listened intently, ignoring Barty's perplexed stare until she confirmed what she could hear; the faint sound of police sirens. "I think some muggle called the police at the noise—what idiot doesn't put silencing wards around their homes?"

"The _please_?" Barty raised an eyebrow.

" _Police_. They're like Muggle Aurors." Dora sighed, "Get the trunk out and shove him in—quick."

Dora huffed in annoyance as the man simply stared at her in confusion, going over to him and summoning the trunk out of his bag herself. "How do you know what muggle Aurors are?"

"My Dad showed me an old movie once." Dora said quickly, not wanting to get into a conversation about her muggleborn father right now (or at all for that matter). She was relieved when Barty dropped the conversation, instead opening the trunk and levitating the unconscious man into its depths.

"See how you like being locked away for a while, git." Barty grinned. He pulled the stopper off of the polyjuice potion, sprinkling a few of the hairs inside. "Bottoms up." The man cringed as he downed the potion, waiting for a few moments before he groaned at his body transforming. The sirens were getting closer and Dora quickly ran to the window to see the police car pulling down the street. "How do I look?" Dora turned at the sound of the deep voice, wincing as he picked up the eye still whirling on the cabinet and promptly placed it in his now empty socket.

"Marvellous." Dora breathed before she looked out of the window to watch the police, now visible in the early morning light as they approached the house. ". . . Don't kill the muggles. It's too obvious."

"Obviously." Barty laughed, though he quickly went over to the window, opening it as he pointed his wand.

"Barty—!" she bit her lip as he fired a spell, though to her surprise it didn't affect the police officers about to get out of their car. She frowned as the dustbins began to spew rubbish, whizzing up to the back garden creating a terrible racket. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Well, I was trying to knock one over if I'm honest." Barty shrugged as he looked curiously at the bins. "Thought they'd get distracted by the noise and you could sneak out the front and disaparate—there's undoubtedly anti-apparation wards in here—but I think the idiot Auror must have put some sort of trespassing charm on them . . . Either way, this works just as well."

"You're going to have the ministry down here trying to get Mad-Eye for improper use of magic on those bins, you realise?" Dora said.

"Well then, you best get out of here so I can play the part of overly paranoid ex-Auror looking to defend his home." Barty grinned, the look strange on the features of Mad-Eye Moody.

"I won't be recognised, Barty." Dora rolled her eyes. "I reckon I should stay here and make sure you don't go killing anyone."

"Nymphie," Barty laughed, "as much as I enjoy your company and am flattered by your clear faith in me I don't think I could explain away Mad-Eye having a young and attractive woman in his home, could I?"

"I—"

"I'll be fine." Barty rolled his eyes, still grinning in his amusement as his magical eye moved around the room, "Go on, off you pop."

Dora stared at the man for a moment, thinking of something to say before with a huff of annoyance and a shake of her head she left the room and made her exit to the sound of raging dustbins, confused muggles and Barty's barely contained laughter at the situation.

* * *

"How did it go?" Bellatrix asked.

It was hours later and Dora had only just got back from reporting to The Dark Lord. She had decided to ensure that Barty had the capability of taking care of the two policemen without succumbing to his darker tendencies, hiding undetected in a neighbour's garden for a while before she watched the officers get in their car and drive away with a confused yet calm look on their features. Nymphadora had spent at least another hour reporting to the Dark Lord and had tried to apparate straight into her bedroom after leaving him, hoping that after staying awake all night she may be able to get some rest before her Aunt's inevitable onslaught of questions. Though the moment she had arrived she realised that was hopeless as her Aunt was laid on her bed waiting for her return. The dark Witch quickly jumped to her feet, crossing her arms as her niece took too long to answer her.

"Well?" She snapped. "Did it go to plan?"

"Yes." Dora tried to hold back a yawn, "Moody is currently locked in a trunk and Barty is probably on his way to Hogwarts around about now."

"And you reported this to The Dark Lord?" Bellatrix asked.

"Of course, I did." Dora sighed, sitting down on her bed as she shrugged off her jacket and kicked off her shoes.

"What did he say?" Bella asked, staring at the young witch intently.

"Aunt Bella," Dora yawned, "I'm really tired, can I please tell you this later?"

"I need to know, Nymphadora." Bellatrix said, almost in offended that the girl wouldn't give her exactly what she wanted at that exact moment. "You have scorch marks on your jacket."

"Can I at least freshen up?" Dora sighed, forcing herself to smile at her Aunt, "I'll tell you everything but at least let me change out of this get up first."

". . . Fine, you do look ridiculous." Bellatrix sighed, "I'll meet you in the drawing room."

It didn't take her long to change, morphing her hair into a more tameable long sleek blonde before throwing it up in a hair tie and switching her outfit for a casual dress. She knew she wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon. As she walked into the drawing room she was hardly surprised to see her Uncle sat in an armchair as her Aunt stood impatiently by the fireplace. Dora summoned the elf, making it get her a drink before she sunk into a seat.

"Well?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

"You don't seem very happy . . . what went wrong?" Rodolphus mused.

"I'm tired." Dora said defensively. "Nothing went wrong . . . well, I got knocked out at one point and the police turned up but apart from that nothing went wrong."

"The what?"

"Muggle Aurors." Dora said quickly, taking a sip of her water before putting it on the table beside her. "We got Mad-Eye, locked him in the trunk and now Barty is going around parading as him just as we planned."

The two Death Eaters stared at the girl expectantly before with a roll of his eyes Rodolphus finally spoke, "You'll have to give us more detail than that."

"Right . . ." Dora took a deep breath before she started to explain the night, step-by-step, only pausing briefly as Rodolphus went to ask a question every now and then but was quickly shot down by his wife who clearly only wanted to know everything her niece could tell her before they asked such things. It was the middle of the day by the time they had finished talking, the girl almost falling asleep in her chair when Rodolphus decided he had other things to get to.

"Dora . . ." Bellatrix sighed, walking over to the girl with a contented smile on her lips. "You did well, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Dora couldn't help but smile, happy to hear she had pleased her Aunt possibly more so than when The Dark Lord had told her he was pleased earlier that day.

"Though you shouldn't have been knocked down like that, perhaps we need to train some more today." Bellatrix laughed as the girl's face dropped at the thought of training, "What?"

"I'm _tired_." Dora insisted.

"Is that what you're going to say when you've been battling for hours on end with no signs of stopping?" Bellatrix raised her eyebrow before speaking in a mocking tone, "'I'm sorry, Mr Auror, can you stop for a minute so I can take a nap?'"

"No. . ." Dora mumbled, though was pleasantly surprised as her Aunt squeezed her arm, winking at her.

"Go to bed." Bellatrix said, "There's no point trying to begin a training session when you're already so tired—I'd have you off your feet in under a minute."

"Thanks . . ." Dora stifled yet another yawn as she got to her feet, hugging her Aunt briefly, "I'll write to Draco in the morning, ask him how his new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor is—Everyone knows there's a new Professor this year so it won't be that strange."

"Good," Bellatrix nodded, "Dora," the woman smirked at the younger witch as she looked at her, "you did do well tonight. You'll be a fine Death Eater soon enough."

"Thanks, Aunt Bella . . . It was kind of fun." Dora grinned as the witch let out a small laugh, she shook her head, turning to leave the room as she called back to her Aunt "'Night."

"Good night . . ." Bellatrix watched the girl leave, unable to help but keep the smirk on her features. She had done well for her master in providing Nymphadora to him, she was sure he would be pleased with both witches. With a small giggle of happiness at her own achievements, Bellatrix turned on the spot, leaving to report to her master as he had requested to discuss both the night and further plans.


	23. The Triwizard Tournament

Nymphadora paced the small room at the three broomsticks. She had been tasked by The Dark Lord to be the main point of contact between himself and Barty Crouch Jr, ensuring that he knew of all of the goings-on at the school. The following day would be Halloween, which held great importance this particular year as it also happened to be the day that the house champions were to be chosen for the Triwizard Cup. Nymphadora had been particularly nervous about their first meeting, her Aunt had quizzed her to no end and ensured that she wouldn't be recognised getting to the pub. Personally, Nymphadora didn't see the point in such nonsense. She was only a child when The Dark Lord was last in power, there was no way she could be connected to carrying out tasks for the man—and more importantly, the stupid Ministry had no idea that he was still alive. Though still The Dark Lord had asked her to morph into a different person each time she went to meet Barty, Bellatrix had said it was so that people wouldn't get suspicious that the supposed ex-Auror was meeting the niece of Bellatrix Lestrange (though they had managed to escape Azkaban it was clear that people, such as Dumbledore, still had their suspicions of the Lestrange couple—most likely for their connection to Rabastan). So Nymphadora had woken up early that morning, spent her time morphing her features to an unrecognisable state and made her way to Hogsmeade where she had already booked a room for one night under a false name. She couldn't help but giggle to herself at the absurdity of it.

"Something funny?" the voice of Mad-Eye Moody grumbled as he walked into the room, closing the door behind himself and placing several wards to ensure they would not be disturbed.

"Nothing at all, _Mad-Eye_." Nymphadora smirked as she turned and sat on the edge of the bed, "You look awful."

"Really?" Barty asked, smirking as he took his magical eye out and threw down his walking stick leaving it to clatter onto the floor, "I thought this was a rather attractive look for me."

"Think again." Nymphadora rolled her eyes as he pulled up a chair to the small dressing table, looking to the closed curtains for a moment before he took off his fake leg. "Though perhaps it is an improvement."

"Well, you don't look too great yourself." Barty shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

Nymphadora sighed, screwing up her features and concentrating until she looked back up through her own dark eyes with her natural features back in place, "How's that?"

"It's a slight improvement," Barty smirked, wincing as the polyjuice potion began to wear off.

" _Slight improvement_? I morphed into a woman three times my size with a bloody wart on her nose!" Nymphadora shook her head, "You're infuriating."

"And now your clothes are three sizes too big." Barty grinned, now looking very much himself again as he laughed at Nymphadora pulling her robes tighter around herself.

"We're not here to comment on my appearance." Nymphadora mumbled.

"Shame, I have a few comments." Barty licked his lips, making the girl cringe before he laughed again, "Take a joke, Nymphie."

"My name is not Nymphie." Dora narrowed her eyes.

"Nymphadora," Barty rolled his eyes, "I believe we are here for a reason?"

"Yes." Nymphadora drew herself to sit up straighter, trying to look seriously at the Death Eater. ". . . Is it done?"

"Yes."

"So Potter's name will be pulled from the goblet?" Dora raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

". . . How did you do it?" Nymphadora asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Barty grinned mischievously as Dora shook her head, "Well if he didn't tell you what makes you think I will? Maybe you can't be trusted yet."

"I can be trusted." Nymphadora said firmly, the tips of her hair tinging red.

"Bella hasn't taught you how to keep your emotions under control, has she?" Barty laughed, the mere sound infuriating Nymphadora as the man simply shrugged, "Though saying that most Black's can't keep their emotions under control on a good day—I suppose they can hide it if they want to though."

". . . Why do you live to annoy me?" Nymphadora asked, only half serious.

"Aww, Nymphadora." Barty pouted, clearly the man was having too much fun being able to be his true self rather than a moody, paranoid old man for a change, "I'm offended." Nymphadora rolled her eyes, trying desperately to contain her annoyance. After a moment or two had passed Barty Crouch Jr got up from his seat, taking two large strides to the girl and practically jumping down to sit on the bed next to her. The young witch shuffled away slightly as the man brought up his legs to sit cross-legged on the bed. Suddenly the man's look darkened, giving her a sinister smirk as he lowered his voice, "I tricked the Goblet of Fire. It picks one champion per a house you see—there's no way to change that—and each of the contestants has to be over the age of 17 to participate. The age wasn't much of an issue, putting the name in myself I was old enough to put it in and with a spell or two, the goblet didn't question it. But _before_ that, I had to get over the one champion per house rule. _That_ was a tricky little spell . . . I confused the cup into thinking there were four schools."

"Oh." Nymphadora mentally kicked herself as Barty snickered, wishing that she had come up with something more profound to say in answer to the wizard's explanation than 'Oh'. "So that will work?" she said quickly.

"Yes, it will work." Barty nodded. "The thing didn't exactly spit his name out and there were no consequences—there have been idiots in the Hospital wing all week with fake beards and the likes because they tried to trick the cup."

"And no-one suspects a thing?" Dora asked.

"No." Barty smirked.

"Good . . ."

"Good." Barty winked at the girl as he got up, pulling out his flask of polyjuice potion. "Go on, girl, run back to The Dark Lord and report."

"I don't have to go back until tonight."

"Aw, wanting to spend more time with me?" Barty teased.

"Definitely not." Dora said defensively, getting to her feet and going over to the mirror ready to morph her features, she paused as Barty drew his wand pointing it to the bedsheets and pillows as they rose high into the air only to fall back down again in a mussed heap. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I take it you're not staying here tonight?" Barty raised an eyebrow at the girl, downing his potion and making a face at the taste. "Don't morph back. Just disaparate and old Rosmerta will think you slept here and apparated off in the morning."

"Right . . ." Dora nodded.

"You'll get the hang of all this secret, dangerous, tricking people business Nymphie." Barty laughed as his appearance changed back to that of Mad-Eye Moody, barely giving the girl a chance to retaliate to the name as he quickly placed back his eye and wooden leg and left with his walking stick.

Nymphadora shook her head, taking the wards of the room down and disapparating back to Lestrange Manor. She quickly changed back into clothes her own size when she arrived in her bedroom, surprised that her Aunt had not found her already when she left her room. She found her Aunt herself instead, the woman sat in the library going over a book on Dragons. "What are you reading?" Nymphadora asked, sitting in the seat beside her and looking at her Aunt curiously.

"Potter is going to die far before we can get to him if he is left to his own devices in this tournament." Bellatrix mumbled, finishing the paragraph she was reading then earmarking it so that she could look to her niece with a smirk, "I mean it would be a _tragedy_ , but very useless for us. Rodolphus discovered through an old friend at the Ministry that the first task involves stealing an object from a dragon."

"Oh." Dora frowned, looking at the book.

". . . What's wrong with you?" Bellatrix frowned for a moment before she suddenly looked serious. "Has something gone wrong? Is Potter not going to be chosen?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Dora shook her head, leaning back into the plush armchair as she forced a slight smile at her Aunt, "Barty has everything under control."

"Oh, good." Bellatrix nodded, going to pick up her book again before she forced herself not to sigh in annoyance, there was clearly something wrong with the witch, "What's the matter then?"

Dora bit her lip, playing with the fabric of her skirts, she didn't want to talk to her Aunt about what she was thinking. She dreaded to think what she would say. It was only as Bellatrix reached her hand out and took the girls own from her skirts that she took a deep breath and began to speak. "I failed the first task The Dark Lord gave me."

"You didn't fail it." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, glad that the girl wasn't looking at her.

"I got knocked out." Dora huffed, "If it was me alone I would have been carted off to Azkaban."

"But you weren't alone." Bellatrix said firmly, "That is the precise reason that you did not go alone. Just don't do it again."

"And what if I do?" Nymphadora looked to the older witch, trying to disguise her clear fear of failure from her voice and features. "What if I fuck up the next thing I'm told to do? What if I get caught? Barty said I'll 'Get the hang of it'—I was going to leave the sheets looking untouched then Rosmerta would have known I didn't sleep there."

"That's hardly the end of the world." Bellatrix laughed, "Though perhaps something you should have thought of."

Nymphadora sighed deeply, looking back to her lap as she furrowed her brows, "I'm never going to be a proper Death Eater—I'll mess it up and get myself killed or imprisoned."

"Do not say that." Bellatrix snapped, getting to her feet as her niece looked up at her in slight shock at her sudden movement. "I did not spend years moulding you, training you, putting every spare inch of my efforts into you for you to give up!"

"I'm not giving up!" Dora protested.

"You just you said that you're never going to be a ' _proper Death Eater_ '," Bellatrix sneered, "Firstly, you sound pathetic. Secondly, I have every faith that you will be not only a Death Eater but one of the best The Dark Lord has in his service. Do you understand me? . . . I said, _do you understand me_?"

Nymphadora nodded obediently, slightly taken back as her Aunt smiled sweetly with not a trace of the anger she had displayed nanoseconds previously.

"Good." Bellatrix said, looking the girl up and down for a moment before she let out a breath of annoyance, "You learn on the job . . . I wasn't always the best when I first started."

"That's hard to believe." Dora couldn't help but smile as Bellatrix smirked.

"I almost got arrested on my first task."

"How?" Dora asked, suddenly intrigued.

"There may have been an incident where I got slightly carried away somewhere that I shouldn't have been." Bellatrix sighed reminiscently, "It ended up with Rodolphus apparating me away to the Dark Lord still covered in blood." She grinned at the girl as she returned the gesture, nodding for her to follow her out of the room, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Dora asked though she stood up regardless.

"To teach you a bit of stealth." Bellatrix mused, "Let's try and sneak past Rodolphus, I mean you'll probably fail but I wouldn't expect you to get past him unnoticed."

"So why are we trying if I'm going to fail?" Dora asked.

"Because it's amusing . . . We'll head over to Malfoy Manor to play with Cissa after."

Dora couldn't help but laugh, following her Aunt to find Rodolphus.

* * *

Both the Hogsmeade and the school were alive with the excitement and anticipation of the first task of the Triwizard Tournament and it was becoming rather hard to contain her excitement as she walked up towards the arena. She hurried to keep up with the long strides of Rodolphus Lestrange as they passed ahead through the crowds. It had not been hard for Rodolphus to procure tickets, with one carefully placed conversation with the Minister and a mention of looking to make donations it had been far too easy to get an invitation. They sat near the judge's table, Rodolphus making a small nod to Barty Crouch Senior as his gaze paused on him briefly.

Nymphadora bit back a smirk at the situation, 'Mad-Eye' aka Barty Crouch Junior was stood staring at his father with his non-magical eye. It was ridiculous, he had no idea that his Azkaban escapee son was stood such a short distance from him ready to help implement the return of the man his father had tried so long to help thwart. She was just about to make a comment to her Uncle when Barty's magical eye landed on her, the good eye soon following. Dora looked away, though found her Uncle to be staring straight back at him. She shuffled in her seat for a moment uncomfortably, her eyes darting between the pair before with a flicker of a smirk that was no doubt Barty's own the younger wizard looked away.

"Should you be staring at him?" Dora muttered under her breath.

"I can stare at him if I so wish." Rodolphus sighed in apparent boredom, though looked away from the man nonetheless. "Moody was instrumental in the incarceration of my brother."

"Right . . ." Dora breathed, it wasn't often that she heard Rodolphus mention Rabastan Lestrange. Though despite the fact that they both knew that Mad-Eye Moody was in fact locked in a trunk in his office, there was no hiding the glare at his doppelgänger as Rodolphus spat his name.

Nymphadora hesitated for a moment before she reached her hand out to her Uncle's clenched fist, ignoring the mans furrowed eyebrows in confusion of the gesture. She dropped her voice to well below a whisper as she ensured that they could not be overheard. "He won't be in Azkaban much longer."

Rodolphus hesitated for a moment, staring straight into her compassionate eyes before with a small grunt of acknowledgement and a nod he pulled his hand away and returned his gaze to the arena where a silver blue beast of a dragon was now protecting a cluster of eggs. The whole event was riveting to watch. First, a Hufflepuff boy named Cedric Diggory came onto the arena, a boyish nervous grin on his features as he prepared to face the dragon. Dora had to stop herself laughing as the boy transfigured a rock into a dog, watching the dragon take the bate momentarily before turning back and burning the poor boys face.

"Idiot." Dora snickered, her Uncle smirking as he nudged her gently "What?" Dora asked, smirking in return.

"Show some compassion." Nymphadora was sure she had never heard her Uncle sound so perfectly sarcastic in her entire life.

"Look to the Slytherins'," Dora nodded to where her cousin sat with the rest of his house, the boy was hardly attempting to contain his laughter though he cheered as the boy retrieved his golden egg.

"You're not an idiotic, fourteen-year-old _Malfoy_."

"That's a tad harsh."

"But true." Rodolphus smirked.

An attractive looking Beauxbatons girl was not quite as successful as the first contestant as she managed to get her skirts set on fire by a sleeping dragon. It was as Nymphadora was holding back another snicker that she looked at the judge's table. She had thought she was imagining things at first, though the more she looked the more she realised that the tall thin man dressed in sleek silver furs kept on looking towards them.

"Uncle Rodolphus?" The girl waiting for her Uncle to hum in acknowledgement before she carried on. "Who is that man and why does he keep looking at us?"

Rodolphus barely gave the man a moments notice before his upper lip gave a small twinge of distaste. "Durmstrang headmaster. Igor Karkaroff."

"So, what's his problem?" Dora asked.

"Later." Rodolphus said firmly, leaving the girl to know better than to question him again.

In Nymphadora's opinion, the Durmstrang champion was hardly better than the rest of the other champions, though she knew him to be Viktor Krum renowned Bulgarian Seeker. The serious looking boy barely seemed to care as his scarlet, smooth-scaled Chinese Fireball dragon decided to smash some of its real eggs to smithereens in its panicked state of its new weeping eyes. It was as the arena was cleared and the final, most intimidating looking dragon was brought on in its place, that the pair couldn't hide their slight smirks as they both knew who was intended for this particular beast.

As the canon rung out throughout the grounds of the ancient castle young Harry Potter walked to meet his fate. He looked just as his most recent photograph in the Daily Prophet had pictured him to be, with unkempt black hair covering his famous scar from this distance and his rounded spectacles Harry James Potter looked nothing more than a small boy in comparison to the large monster before him. Nymphadora was practically on the edge of her seat as she watched the boy attempt to carry out his task, ignoring the commentary booming through the air as she focused purely on the scrawny young lad. She had to admit, though she had questioned the move when he had first yelled the spell out, that summoning his broomstick did seem to be a wise idea. The boy could fly well enough to rival some professional players that she had seen, though she couldn't help but question if the boy was insane to think he could outfly a dragon. Nevertheless, he seemed to be performing perhaps the best of the four champions. Dora winced as the boy had his shoulder slashed open, noticing her Uncle sit forward next to her at the move. Yes, it would have been rather amusing to watch The Boy Who Lived die at the talons of a wild beast, but that was not the plan.

The crowd cheered for the young boy as he simply looked relieved to have survived such a task as he clutched onto his golden egg and the whole affair was over just as soon as it had started. Rodolphus didn't move from his seat immediately, now staring at Igor Karkaroff as he began to move from his seat. Nymphadora couldn't help but grin as she saw her younger cousin approach her, his two usual sidekicks in tow along with a pug-faced young girl.

"Nymphadora, Uncle Rodolphus." Draco greeted them, Rodolphus barely nodding in acknowledgement.

"Hello, Draco." Dora smiled, "Enjoy the entertainment?"

"I suppose, shame Potter didn't get ripped to shreds by that beast though." Draco spat, "Father is convinced he won't live through this."

"Watch your words, Draco." Dora smirked, "You never know who is listening in."

"Is it true you can morph?" Gregory Goyle said dumbly, causing the woman to roll her eyes.

"Of course it is you idiot." Draco snapped. "I told you."

Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly, letting some pink tinge the ends of her hair as she watched the children's reaction, from awe to the wide-eyed jealous gaze of the girl with the trio of boys.

"Malfoy." The familiar grunt of 'Mad-Eye' sounded as the boy looked up with a flicker of what looked like fear. "Take your gang of friends away and stop bothering the grown-ups."

Draco muttered under his breath, saying his goodbyes to his cousin before he went off back to the castle with his friends.

"Lestrange." Mad-Eye muttered, " _Tonks_."

Dora couldn't help but glare at the man at the way he pronounced her surname, she would make sure to reprimand him for it the moment they were alone at their next meeting.

"Moody." Rodolphus said, his whole demeanour changing as he stood tall to address the older looking man, looking down his nose at him in a way purebloods were oh so perfect at doing. "I heard you turned my nephew into a _ferret_."

The two men glanced at Nymphadora as she choked in her struggle to hold down her sudden laughter at that comment, she had definitely not heard of this happening before today.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lestrange." Mad-Eye grunted, leaving Dora to marvel at how well the two played their parts.

"Mark my words, _Mad-Eye_ ," Rodolphus snarled, "I will have this looked into."

"Feel free." Moody narrowed his eyes at the man, "I'm sure there's a lot of things we can have looked into . . . Visited your brother recently?"

Rodolphus glared furiously at the man and Nymphadora had a distinct feeling that this time the anger was not a show. "Come, Nymphadora. Your Aunt will be waiting."

Nymphadora sighed as she watched the man walk off, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon, girl." Mad-Eye grumbled, turning to hobble off on his wooden leg.

When Nymphadora arrived back at the manor she had lost track of Rodolphus, therefore she was surprised as her Aunt came straight to her at the sound of her apparating into the manor.

"Well, how was it? Is Potter still alive?" Bellatrix asked.

"It went as well as you could expect, Potter almost got slashed by a dragon but apart from that he's fine." Nymphadora shrugged before she frowned, "Is Uncle Rod not here?"

"No." Bellatrix shook her head, frowning as the girl let out a deep sigh. "What?" a note of panic slipped into her voice, "What happened? Is there something wrong?"

"No." Nymphadora shook her head, though she was reminded that she knew better than to give such a short answer as her Aunt gave her an expectant look. "I think 'Mad-Eye' might have touched a nerve."

"What did he do this time?" Bellatrix couldn't help but smirk slightly, "Call him names?"

"No . . ." Dora bit her lip, "He mentioned Rabastan."

The smirk faltered from Bellatrix's lips, considering the girl for a moment before she sighed and without a moment's notice, she was gone.

"Nuts." Dora shook her head, making her way to her bedroom, "This whole family is nuts."

* * *

Rodolphus Lestrange was sat on a small bench, overlooking the sea in one of the Lestrange estates. He listened to the waves slowly reaching the shore, closing his eyes and he took in the salty sea air as he envisioned his younger self sat with his brother on this very bench. They had spent hours sat here talking about the future. He had advised his brother when he was worried about his upcoming Hogwarts years, talked about Bellatrix when he was due to marry the young and beautiful witch, spent countless times discussing their own families and future. They had been convinced in their naïve youth that they were going to take over the world, they would bring all of wizarding kind to their knees as they served their master and raised their own families into their own perfect world. The whole concept was pitiful now. They had not counted on the tragic events of the Dark Lords fall, nor of Rabastan's seemingly endless servitude not to their lord but to the prison he was now trapped within. As the man took a deep breath to calm his emotions he felt the familiar gentle grasp of a hand on his shoulder.

"How did you know I would be here?" He barely whispered as his wife slipped into the space beside him.

"Nymphadora told me that Barty touched on a sore subject." Bellatrix mused, leaning into her husband as she stared out at the calming waves.

"What? Draco's turn as a ferret?" Rodolphus scoffed.

"No," Bellatrix couldn't help but giggle, resting her head on her husband's shoulder as he moved his arm to rest on her shoulders. "About Rab." Bellatrix looked up at her husband through her heavy-lidded eyes as he stiffened, now glaring out at the view. "He should know better . . ."

"He should." Rodolphus said through gritted teeth, though eventually, his look softened, growing distant as he became almost lost in thought, "I failed him, I left him to rot."

"You couldn't help him." Bellatrix shook her head, "But we can. Very soon, he'll be running free with the rest of the currently incarcerated faithful servants of our Master and the world shall be ours yet again."

"The world was never ours . . ." Rodolphus winced as his wife suddenly sat up, forcing him to look at her as her serious gaze bore down on him.

"We will release him, we will serve our Lord and we will rule this pathetic country—this pathetic _world—_ and make them pay for the wrongs they have done us." Bellatrix snarled, her voice full of passion.

Rodolphus considered the woman for a few moments, Merlin he could not help but love her when she became like this. He gave a slight nod, letting himself return the small smirk she was giving him as he briefly yet passionately pressed his lips to hers, "Soon."

"Soon." Bellatrix agreed.

The couple stayed on the small bench, ignoring the cold breeze as they melted into each other's arms, watching the sun set down upon them. Though as Bellatrix fantasized purely about the day their master would rule the world, Rodolphus Lestrange could not help but think of his lost young brother alongside such dreams.


	24. Barty Crouch Senior

Nymphadora was on the floor. Again. She had the feeling she was going to be spending the most of her day there as with a huff of annoyance she swept her hair out of her face and pulled herself to her feet.

"You need to get better at blocking." Bellatrix smirked, "I suppose you have gotten slightly better though."

"Wow, that's a compliment coming from you." Dora joked, smirking as her Aunt rolled her eyes.

"Make the most of it." Bellatrix glanced down at her watch before striding to the door of the training room, taking the wards down as she opened the door.

"Are we done for the day?" Dora frowned.

"We're done _here_." Bellatrix laughed, "I need to take you somewhere today. Come."

Nymphadora didn't question her Aunt, she knew better than to do that by now. Instead, she followed her Aunt in silence, through Lestrange Manor and out of the main doors. It was only when Bellatrix held her hand out to her niece that she paused for a moment, the older witch merely shaking her head as she reached out and took the girls hand anyway. Dora barely had a chance to prepare herself as she was pulled into the familiar sensation of side-along apparation.

"Where are we?" Nymphadora couldn't help but ask as they arrived in the small entryway of what was clearly a wizarding home.

"Somewhere." Bellatrix let out a small giggle.

"Where—" Dora bit her lip as she saw a familiar face slide out of a door further down the corridor.

"Wormtail." Bellatrix groaned.

"B-Bellatrix." Peter Pettigrew stammered, his eyes flickering to the younger witch for a moment before he continued, "Nymphadora . . ."

Nymphadora merely nodded slightly in acknowledgement, though she could not help but be intrigued by the man. She had only seen him once before, at the Riddle home on the day she had met the Dark Lord. Though she had not seen him since then she had admittedly thought of him, mainly wondering how such a seemingly scared, unkempt little man could be working for someone such as The Dark Lord.

"Where is he?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the man, clearly enjoying the fact that he was seemingly scared of her.

"U-Upstairs." Wormtail stuttered. "In the main bedroom."

"Good." Bellatrix sighed, "Now be a good little boy and run along now, won't you? You're not needed right now."

"B-But the Dark Lord said—"

"The Dark Lord said that you were to ensure that he was kept contained, kept away from any risk of escaping." Bellatrix snarled, the man cowering as she glared at him, "Yet I hear that you have not been doing so well at this task?"

"The Imperious is—"

"Are you trying to blame _The Dark Lord_ for your incompetence?!" Bellatrix screeched.

"N-No, I—"

"He has asked me to come here—with Nymphadora—so I would suggest that you shut your dirty little mouth and let me get on with my business." Bellatrix hissed. Wormtail mumbled his apologies, cowering away as he disappeared back through the door he had originally appeared from. The woman looked more than amused as she turned back to her niece. "Pathetic."

"Pretty much." Dora couldn't help but agree, her Aunt laughing and nodding for her to follow her as they walked up the stairs leading to the upper part of the home. "Aunt Bella?" Dora waited for the woman to hum in acknowledgement before she carried on, "What are we doing here?"

Bellatrix stopped suddenly, a mischievous grin on her features as she prevented her niece from accidentally walking straight into her. "You have a task to perform."

"A task?" Dora asked, a mixture of excitement and nerves in her voice that did not go unnoticed by her Aunt.

"Yes." Bellatrix nodded, "Well, a task of sorts. Come."

Nymphadora followed her Aunt through the nearest door, though she was not expecting what she was met with as her eyes went wide in shock. "I-Is that—?"

"Barty Crouch _Senior_." Bellatrix laughed.

The man before her was nearly unrecognisable from the well-kept, smart, official Ministry employee she had seen at the first Triwizard task over a month beforehand. He sat to the side of his bed, staring at the wall blankly as his lips moved as if he were speaking but what little sound came out was barely audible. Dora was in shock, wondering what on earth had happened to make a man who was once in such a position of power turn into such an unrecognisable weak mess. It was only as she caught sight of her Aunt's overly amused grin staring at her that Dora dared say anything.

"What happened to him?" Dora whispered, frowning as the man flinched at the sound of her voice but did not move to face them.

"Imperious." Bellatrix giggled.

"That is what the Imperious curse can do?" Dora asked in wonder, "I thought it just made you do what the caster wanted?"

"It does." Bellatrix shrugged with a smirk plastered firmly on her lips. "Unless you're trying to fight it too hard and the person casting it is particularly powerful. Then it can turn you into this mess—but not to worry, he still does what we ask of him when it is needed." Bellatrix slowly walked over to the man, leaning down so his frightened glazed eyes met with her own dark pair.

"Azkaban!" Crouch suddenly yelled, fury flashing across his features for a split second before he calmed again, "Azkaban . . . Death Eater . . . Knew it . . ."

"Yes," Bella pouted as she teased the man, reaching out and straightening his skewed robes in a mocking gesture, "but you didn't have the evidence did you, Crouch? Poor old man." Dora walked over to her Aunt, frowning as the man shifted his gaze to her. "Old Barty here has been getting some funny ideas, haven't you Barty? Thinks he's about to flee the house and run for his 'great escape', but we can't be having that, can we Dora?"

"No." Dora shook her head, smirking slightly as the man suddenly decided that he preferred to stare at the floor.

"So, The Dark Lord has told me to inform you that you will be helping Wormtail keep old Crouch all safe and snug in his little home." Bellatrix purred, straightening herself up again before she looked to her niece. "Come once a day, make sure the imperious is still keeping him held—make sure Wormtail is doing his job—then leave."

" _I_ need to make sure Wormtail is doing his job?" Dora asked. "But he's—. . . But he's a marked Death Eater and I'm—"

"Far more capable than Pettigrew could ever hope to be," Bellatrix said firmly, grinning as a flicker of a smile crossed the younger girls lips. "I have every faith in you, The Dark Lord would not assign you this small task if he didn't think you to be capable."

"I won't fail." Dora said, suddenly filled with a rush of determination at the mention of both her Aunt's and The Dark Lord's trust in her.

"Good." Bellatrix nodded, "Now if you don't mind I have things to be getting along with. Go see to Pettigrew before you leave."

Dora didn't have a chance to argue. Without a moment's notice the witch was gone and yet again Nymphadora was stood wondering why her Aunt felt such a need to make her exit so quickly all of the time. She shook her head as she left the room, ready to follow her orders.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks found herself in the Hogshead, though the Triwizard Tournament had made it more and more difficult to procure a room in the small wizarding town she had found that advanced bookings and (perhaps more importantly) a little extra gold had gone a long way and the witch was yet again waiting for Barty Crouch Jr in their usual shabby little room. She had already morphed from her disguise (a small grey witch with a crooked old walking stick) and was laid on the bed reading a book when the door creaked open.

"Making yourself comfortable?" Barty Crouch Jr snickered as he shut the door behind him, throwing his props for his guise as Mad-Eye Moody onto the bed as he placed the usual wards on the room.

Dora pulled her legs out of the way just in time to stop herself getting hit, sitting herself up, "I was here early—why are you out of disguise? Did you get caught!?"

"No." Barty scoffed. "The Polyjuice wore off just a few feet from the door, I didn't see the point in retaking it."

"You should have ran in here for cover." Dora scolded him, "What if you were seen?"

"Aww, are you worried about me Nymphie?" Barty teased, letting a small pout grace his features until he laughed at the girl's glare, "I wasn't seen."

"I'm more worried about you blowing everyone's cover." Dora mumbled.

"Everyone, but especially me?" Barty teased.

"Shut up." Dora rolled her eyes, but as the man gave her his signature mischievous grin she couldn't help but let out a huff of laughter.

"How's my father?" Barty tilted his head, sitting down on the edge of the bed cross-legged as per usual. "Still blabbering nonsense and staring into the void?"

"Pretty much." Dora rolled her eyes, "I'm going there after this."

"Oh—Do say hello to Daddy dearest for me."

"The last time you told me to do that he threw a punch at me." Dora rolled her eyes as the man burst into laughter.

"What? Has the old man forgotten he's a wizard?" Barty scoffed.

"No, Peter has his wand."

"Oh, it's _Peter_ now, is it?" Barty teased, "Has someone got a crush?"

"No!" Dora snapped, making a gesture that implied she was sickened by the thought, "It's easier to be nice to him or he just becomes a quivering mess around you—it's rather pathetic actually."

"Yes, I can see why you wouldn't want your admirer to be scared of you—Ow!" Barty pouted as he pulled his leg away from the girl to stop her kicking him again.

"Can we focus?" Dora raised an eyebrow, "We have plans to discuss."

"Oh Nymphie," Barty sighed, "Ever the businesswoman—I like this side of you, very formal, _demanding_ even. Have you been spending too much time with your Aunt? I admit I find this side of you rather attractive."

"So you're attracted to my Aunt?" Dora smirked, glad to be able to turn the man's words against him.

"Merlin no, I'm not about to get into a fight with Rodolphus—nor Bellatrix for that matter."

"Yes, you're right, Aunt Bella would probably laugh in your face and reject you anyway." Dora laughed as the man rolled his eyes in annoyance, " _So the plan_."

"You're to morph into a Hogwarts student." Barty drawled, "Sneak into the grounds in the bustle of all of the preparations for the event. You wait within the Quidditch stadium to the edge of the maze. I am to be patrolling the maze, and when I am doing my usual 'safety check' of the perimeter with one of the other people that will be patrolling the edge I knock them out just as they reach you. You can take on their appearance, we dispose of them to be hidden in the bushes and then you join me in ensuring that Potter is the one to reach the cup first."

"And you would have already turned it into a Portkey?" Dora asked.

"I will be the one placing it in the final spot, I will ensure it is a Portkey that delivers little Potter directly to The Dark Lord." Barty nodded.

"Where he'll be used to resurrect him to full health and then be murdered—never to be seen again." Dora grinned.

"Never to bother another living soul." Barty smirked. "Then we return to The Dark Lord and bask in the glory of the success of our task."

Dora bit her lip, her face suddenly becoming much more serious, "Or suffer for its failure."

"We will not fail." Barty spoke firmly, narrowing his eyes at the girl for a moment before he frowned at her look, "Do you seriously fear that we will fail?"

"I—" Dora hesitated for a moment before she let out a deep sigh, "I want to serve him, to make my Aunt proud and help him take over the Wizarding World . . ."

"But?" Barty raised an eyebrow, though when the girl did not answer he mimicked her deep sigh, crawling up the bed before he sat beside her. He nudged her almost playfully, waiting for her to look at him before he repeated himself " _But_ . . . ?"

"I fear that I'll fail him." Dora muttered as she lowered her gaze so as not to look into the man's eyes directly, "It's not like at school when you mess up a potion in class or have to redo an assignment . . . the consequences of failing the Dark Lord are much greater than that."

"True," Barty nodded, "it could mean torture—of various sorts—humiliation, _death_."

"Thanks for making me feel better." Dora huffed.

"Nymphadora," Barty said, waiting for the girl to look up at him again before he continued, "I do not believe that you will fail. If I believed that you would fail I would not have asked The Dark Lord for your involvement—even though I could probably master this on my own." Barty smirked as the girl let out a small huff of a laugh, "You have the potential to be a great warrior for The Dark Lord's cause, just as powerful and potentially terrifying as old Bellatrix. Don't let the risk of failure hold you back, you truly get into trouble when you start to doubt yourself. I don't doubt you, so neither should you."

". . . Thanks . . . I guess." Dora smiled slightly, it was unlike Barty to become so serious and complementing.

"You're welcome." Barty said as he jumped to his feet, taking out his hip flask as he got ready to leave, "Now go back to Daddy dearest, he probably misses his punching bag."

That was more like Barty, Dora rolled her eyes as she got to her feet too. "Until next time."

"I look forward to it." Barty winked as he took a gulp of his potion. Dora didn't wait to watch the unpleasant transformation as she turned on the spot and left.

* * *

Nymphadora had lost count of the number of times she had visited the Crouch home now and was used to the routine of her visits. First, she would track down Peter Pettigrew, ask him how Crouch had been when she was away and then she would go off to see Barty Crouch Sr. She would usually only spend no more than ten minutes with the man before leaving again. Though today was different. Peter Pettigrew was not in any of his usual hiding places and after checking nearly every room downstairs it was with a huff of annoyance that she went to the upper floor. It was then that she knew something was wrong; Pettigrew's whimpers could be heard the moment she reached the top of the staircase. Dora drew her wand, ready to face whatever it was that had Peter in such a state (though knowing the man she wouldn't have been surprised if it was simply a small spider that had upset him so). It was as she practically kicked down the door to the room he was hiding in, _Barty's Room_ , with her wand raised ready to battle and her face a mask of determination that her heart fell to her feet.

"Where is he?" Dora breathed.

"Nymphadora!" Peter Pettigrew screeched, running up to the woman and reaching for her arm before he whimpered and backed away as she refused to lower her wand.

"Where is he!?" Dora repeated.

"Gone!" Peter cried.

"Gone?" Dora asked, wide-eyed as she began to search the room as if expecting to find him hiding between the robes in his wardrobe. "Where did he go?!"

"I-I—" Peter Pettigrew shook with fear before falling to a puddle on the floor, "He'll kill us!"

Nymphadora growled with anger, storming over to the man and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt as she stuck her wand in his neck, "He will kill _you_. I am not letting your incompetence and idiocy drag me down." Dora glared furiously, her hair turning red as the man continued to cower in his own fear, "You can tell me how in Merlin's name you let this happen later, for now, tell me where he went."

"I-I don't know!" Peter cried. "H-He just ran past me! I opened the door to bring him food and he bolted! The Imperious—"

"Did he say anything when he left?" Dora interrupted, she had no time for the man's nonsense as she could feel her heart pounding so furiously in her chest that she was sure that it was about to burst free. He shook his head and she stopped herself from cursing him for his idiocy, "Did he say anything earlier? Anything at all since I've been here last?"

"H-He kept saying the same name, over and over." Peter tried to steady his nerves, looking up to the witch as he took a deep breath. "Dumbledore . . ."

Nymphadora stared at the man for a moment, thoughts racing through her mind until in a sudden moment of clarity she knew where the man had ran to. She barely paid attention as she let go of the quivering wizard, letting him fall to his feet.

"I know where he's gone." Dora breathed.

"G-Good, perhaps get Bellatri—"

"There's no time you idiot! _You_ tell The Dark Lord about your monumental fuck up whilst I go fix it!" Dora yelled in fury, storming from the room as she made her way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

Nymphadora had tried to think of how the man could get to Hogwarts without a wand, from a house that was long disconnected from the Floo Powder Network and without any wizarding neighbours for miles. In the end she had come to the only conclusion that she could see was at all possible. She knew that there was a way to enter the school from the Forbidden Forest, though it wasn't exactly an easy one it was the only way that she could see both herself going unnoticed in her hunt and Crouch entering without having someone ready to greet him and grant him entry. Besides, Dora believed that Crouch knew of the plans for his son to infiltrate the school and was unsure of how far the man believed the rest of Voldemort's old comrades to be involved, she was sure he would want to go as unnoticed as possible.

The witch had spent far over an hour in the forest so far, sending any searching spell she could think of into its dark depths. Though it was useless, any spell she could think to use merely searched for life and the forest was sure full of that. Nymphadora swore under her breath as she caught her robes on one of the ragged branches of the trees, cursing Peter Pettigrew and his incompetence. Though it was as she began to see the light coming through the trees ahead that her luck changed. She carried on cautiously, conscious that the cover of the trees was thining on her approach to the castle itself, though a grin split across her face as she saw him. Barty Crouch Sr was stood in the open, clearly visible as he talked nonsense to a tree. She took a deep breath, tightening her grip on her wand as was cautious of scaring the wizard on her approach. Her joy at finding her captor was not long lived though as she saw two boys approach the man, one of which was far too familiar. Harry Potter and Victor Krum walked up to the man as he continued to spout nonsense.

Nymphadora could see her life flashing before her eyes. The Dark Lord would be furious, she would be tortured at the very least for not capturing this man on time, perhaps she'd even be killed. Her Aunt would be so disappointed in her and most likely furious too. Even if she managed to survive the ordeal of so much failure she was uncertain if she'd even be welcome with her Aunt and Uncle anymore.

"Dumbledore!" Nymphadora's flashed to white as she looked on with wide eyes as Barty Crouch Sr yelled at the young potter boy, grabbing his robes as if he was his last hope in the world. "I need . . . See . . . Dumbledore . . ."

Dora barely paid attention to what the two boys were saying, every plan to get out of the situation running through her mind as she ensured she was fully covered by the shadows.

"Don't . . . leave . . . me!" Barty pleaded as the Potter boy went to turn away. "I . . . escaped . . . must warn . . . must tell . . . see Dumbledore . . . my fault . . . all my fault . . . Bertha . . . dead . . . all my fault . . . my son . . . my fault . . . tell Dumbledore . . . Harry Potter . . . The Dark Lord . . . stronger . . . Harry Potter . . ."

The witch felt as if her whole body had turned to ice, this was it. They were done for. Months and months of planning all put to shit because they couldn't keep one man contained. She watched Potter as he told Krum to wait with the man, who had thankfully gone back to talking to trees in the madness of the pull of the imperious curse. It was as the young wizard ran back to the castle that Nymphadora knew this was her only chance to put things to right as best she could and after a few minutes of thought she had her answer. She focused intensely on Crouch, pointing her wand at him from her cover before she pulled everything she had ever been taught about the Imperious curse and muttered the unforgivable curse under her breath.

He was fighting it. Crouch froze as his mind battled both the new curse that Nymphadora had placed on him and the underlying instructions of the Dark Lord. As beads of sweat fell down her pale face she was sure that her task was about to fail before-as if someone had flicked a switch within the Wizard-he turned to Krum. Dora strained to hold her grip on the mans mind, though he walked over to Krum, the boy frowning at him in his confusion. It was with great relief that she watched Crouch strike Krum hard and fast across his head, the boy falling to the floor like a ton of bricks. Dora couldn't help but let out a small laugh of relief mixed with amazement that she had managed to succeed. Next she just had to get the man back to her. She focused again, watching the man put one foot in front of the other as he walked towards her. She bit her lip as he walked past her, walking deeper into the forest. With a quick glance back at the unconscious boy on the floor, she followed the man, continuing to glance back behind her to make sure that no-one was following her.

"NO!" the man yelled in the agony of his mind as they got further into the forest, falling to the floor.

"Stop fighting it!" Dora hissed.

"Dumbledore . . . Potter . . ."

"Will both soon be dead with any luck, unless you want to join them I suggest you shut up." Dora growled, walking over to the man. "Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Dora snapped as the man suddenly got up, making a run for it. "Crucio!"

It was an instant reaction; the only way Dora could think to get the man to stop running and it was quite effective. The man writhed on the floor, gripping onto the debris of the forest as he yelled out in his agony until suddenly, though his mouth kept moving, his screaming stopped.

"You're making far too much noise." Barty Crouch Jr hissed as he approached the pair.

"Why aren't you in disguise?" Dora snapped as she lifted the curse, not having time for Barty's nonsense.

"I had to get out here rather quickly," Barty murmured as he slowly walked over to the young witch, kicking his father in the side before with a smirk he lifted his silencing spell, "I have more potion on me, though the effects of my last dose wore off in my search . . ." Barty looked to the witch, cocking his head as he considered her, "Who let him go?"

"Well obviously it wasn't me!" Dora snapped as the Death Eater merely shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose it is pretty obvious Wormtail has a tendency to fail . . ."

"I went to check up on him and he was gone already." Dora said, watching as he pulled out his wand from within his robes. "I'm merely clearly up Wormtail's colossal mess."

"Well," Barty smirked as he looked to the witch, a small glimmer of a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "you did a good job."

"Thanks . . ." Dora breathed, unable to process the day's events yet let alone a compliment from Barty Crouch Jr.

"Dumbledore . . ." Crouch Sr murmured from the floor, still twitching from the after effects of Nymphadora's powerful curse.

"You won't be seeing Dumbledore today, father." Barty snickered, "Or ever for that matter." He smirked as he walked over to the once well respected member of the wizarding community now in a shivering mess on the floor. He dug his wand into his father's throat.

"I need to take him back." Dora said, surprised at how even her voice sounded as she looked curiously at the pair.

"No." Barty Crouch Jr grinned as his father winced at the feel of his wand digging into his neck, "He is useless now. Dumbledore knows that he was here, he won't forget that, nor what the damned Potter boy overhead . . . No," Barty sighed, "The Dark Lord will order him killed."

". . . He's useless to us now." Dora breathed, realising the sense of Barty's words and what the man was about to do.

"Yes . . ." Barty mused, grabbing his father's chin as he forced the man to look at him, "You are a miserable man, a failure, you should never have let me rot in my capture for all those years. You deserve this, to die a cowards death as you tried to run from your fate like some scared little mouse." Barty laughed, the sound sending a chill down Nymphadora's spine. The two men locked their identical eyes, Dora would have sworn there was some sense of previously absent clarity as the older man's face hardened to gaze upon the last thing he would ever see; his son smirking down at him as he uttered those two deadly words. " _Avada Kedavra_."

A flash of green light filled the small clearing in the forest. Barty Crouch Sr ceased to live, his eyes glazing over as his body went limp. His only child shook his head in pity, letting go of the man before he straightened himself. Dora didn't realise she was staring so intensely at the corpse on the floor until she heard her name called, looking up to see Barty raising an eyebrow at her in amusement.

"You've not seen that before, have you?" He asked.

"Yes, I have," Dora said defensively, crossing her arms as she stared back at the man. "I've used the killing curse myself I'll have you know."

"Oh?" Barty asked, walking closer to the witch. "On who?"

Dora shuffled awkwardly as she thought, the man now stopping less than a foot in front of her as he awaited her answer. "On _what_ ," Dora sighed, "I've practised it on animals . . . mostly rats and other vermin."

"Well, that spell does come in use for 'vermin', my father for example." Barty laughed.

Dora couldn't help but frown slightly, "Do you not care?" she blushed slightly as the man raised an eyebrow at her, almost feeling stupid for what she was about to ask though she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Do you not care that you just—well, you just _killed your father_."

"Oh, Dora," Barty sighed, "No, I do not." He watched as the girl simply nodded in acknowledgement of his answer, though he soon became seemingly distracted by the stray strands of the girls white hair. He reached out and delicately moved the hair behind the girls ear, not moving his hand from her as he barely whispered, "Tell me, you hate your parents, don't you? They disowned you?"

"Yes . . ." Dora said, her eyes flickering to the man's hand then back to his gaze.

"So would you care if they died? If you had to kill them?" Barty asked, "Needs must. I mean, would they care if _you_ died?"

"I—" Dora knew the answer to the man's second question, thinking back to the last time she had seen her mother, though she knew the correct answer to both of the man's questions. "No . . . I suppose not."

"There you are." Barty smirked, pulling his hand away and nodding to her hair, "There's no need to be scared anymore, Nymphie. You did extremely well in finding my father. I'm not sure if I could have done it without you." Dora quickly morphed her hair to a dark black, furiously morphing away her blush whilst she was at it. "The Dark Lord will be pleased—and it will be fun to see what he does to Wormtail." Barty snickered as he turned back to his father's corpse.

"What will you do with _him_?" Dora nodded to the corpse.

"Don't worry about that, Nymphie." Barty smirked as he twirled his wand between his fingers, "You should go; report to the Dark Lord. I have to deal with this and ensure I look like Mad-Eye before I go back to Dumble's and tell him how I simply could not find old Crouch—I feel as if Alastor is going to be extremely annoyed at this."

"Right . . ." Dora nodded, taking a deep breath "See you soon . . ."

"I look forward to it." Barty winked.

The girl shook her head, making her way deeper into the forest as she went back the way she had came. As she contemplated the day's events on her long walk there was one thing that could not stop playing in her mind. Though to her surprise it was not watching a man be murdered in front of her (she had always assumed that she would see that eventually in service to The Dark Lord and it was something she had long prepared for), it was the question Barty had asked her. Would she care if her parents died? Would she be able to kill them? She did hate them, she didn't want anything to do with them, she had not thought of the family she had left behind in a long time. But if she was ordered to kill them . . . Could she? It was something that Nymphadora did not want to think of. She instead tried to focus on how The Dark Lord (and also her Aunt Bellatrix), would react to the news that she had succeeded in tracking down their prisoner and successfully stopping the discovery of their plans.


	25. The Third Task

Nymphadora had not had an appetite for breakfast that morning. Instead, she sat on her silk sheets staring down at her old pair of black heeled boots as she fiddled with a loose thread of her black skirt. She had been up since five in the morning and (after realising that laying staring at the ceiling would not help her get back to her sleep) busied herself with getting dressed. Though her inability to sleep that day had not worked in her favour, for there were still some hours left before she was due to go to Hogwarts and her insides were still squirming with the anticipation of it all. She couldn't keep her mind from racing, her stomach from aching and the sheer feeling of excitement mixed with slight fear. She was almost grateful as she heard the gentle knock at her door after nearly an hour of sitting in silence.

"Dora?" Bellatrix smiled at the girl as she slipped into the room, closing the door behind her. "Why aren't you still asleep?"

"Probably the same reason you're not still asleep." Dora joked, letting herself smile slightly as her Aunt let out a small laugh.

"Yes, but I've never known you to get out of bed a minute before you've absolutely had to." Bella said, walking over to the girls dressing table. She fiddled with one of the small bottles of perfume on the table absentmindedly for a moment before she caught her nieces gaze in the mirror. She sat down on the small chair with a sigh, turning to face the girl. There was no way of hiding the fact that Bellatrix was full to the brim with excitement that morning, a permanent smile plastered on her lips bordering on a Cheshire cat grin. "Excited?"

"Well, I can tell _you_ are." Dora couldn't help but smirk as her Aunt laughed. "But yes, I am excited . . . and nervous . . ."

"Why should you be nervous?" Bella raised an eyebrow, "You've already proven yourself more than capable of completing whatever task is put before you—and there is no Wormtail to hinder you this time."

"No, you have the pleasure of dealing with that dimwit." Dora rolled her eyes.

"He's infuriating. Why he gets the honour of such a sacrifice— _I am his most loyal_ —" The smile on Bellatrix's lips faltered only for a moment as she discussed the man before she shook her head in disgust "Fool."

"He only requires the flesh of the servant it doesn't matter the loyalty." Dora shrugged, "Wormtail can afford to lose a hand because he's useless and— _as you rightly said_ —a fool. Whereas, as much as I'm sure you would still be able to win a duel against any witch or wizard stupid enough to try to fight you no matter how many hands you have," Dora smirked as Bella let out a small laugh, " _you_ are more important. Let the lesser servants do such a thing."

"Yes," Bella smirked, "he's already missing a finger, why not take the rest off?" Bella let out a small giggle that would have sent a chill down the spine of a lesser witch, though Dora merely smiled at her Aunt in amusement. Her excitement was starting to rub off on her as the elder witch jumped from her seat and went to sit on the bed next to her niece. She wrapped an arm around the girl, pulling her into herself. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Dora grinned, leaning her head on her Aunt's shoulder as she missed the smirk on her lips.

Unknown to Nymphadora, Bellatrix had long been well aware that the girl had a strong will to do anything to please her from a young age. Though as the raven-haired witch let herself lean her head on her nieces own she realised that these were no longer empty words of encouragement but the truth, she _was_ proud of her. She bit her lip to stop herself laughing at it all as she thought how proud she was of herself for taking the half-blood child of her blood-traitor sister and turning her into such a loyal and powerful weapon for her master.

"Remember, Dora," Bella whispered as she stroked the girl's hair thoughtfully, "once you succeed in this task you will no doubt be accepted into the Dark Lord's inner circle." Bella let her spare hand gently take the girls left hand, tracing her nails delicately up to the currently bare space on Nymphadora's left arm. "You will be marked as his and serve only him beside myself—and Rodolphus . . . We will be unstoppable. All you have to do is succeed today and you will have what you and I have dreamed of for you for years."

It was this conversation that was running through Dora's mind on repeat as she waited, hidden within the branches of the maze (having to stop herself swearing every other minute when the branches tried to engulf her of their own accord forcing her to send a quick hex to stop them each time). She had gotten herself into the castle grounds just as she had planned, it was easy to go unhidden as an unknown student as the excitement of everyone coming to see the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament was like a fiery storm within the castle. No-one was paying attention to their fellow students, far too eager in taking bets or feverishly discussing who they thought would win and what the task itself would ultimately entail. It was so easy in fact, that Nymphadora had to laugh at it all. Though perhaps it was Barty's involvement that had made it so easy, the man was portraying such an obsessive determination in making the area as safe as possible in his little act that perhaps everyone had just left him to it.

Nevertheless she was sure that the hard part of her task was almost over with. She could hear the crowd already filled into the stadium cheering, chanting and generally bubbling over with excitement. The game had not yet begun, the four that were tasked with patrolling the edge of the maze were to do one walk around the place before the task was to start. A smirk came over her lips as 'Mad-Eye' approached her hiding spot, stopping as he felt Nymphadora's spell that she had placed to alert only him of her presence. The man looked around the area, as if deeply interested in the enchanted foliage though in truth his eyes met the witch in hiding. She couldn't help but smirk, excited to begin the task set before her in earnest.

"Alastor?" a man's voice called; a voice that Nymphadora recognised.

"Filius . . ." 'Alastor' mused, reaching out into the bushes as if inspecting the branches, though Dora narrowed her eyes at him as he instead placed a hand on her shoulder. He soon let go as the other man's footsteps became ever nearer, stepping back and nodding to where Nymphadora stood. "Are we sure this is safe? This bit of the maze doesn't look right."

"Well . . ." The man sighed, walking right in front of the girl then turning, it didn't take a moment for him to step forward and realise that what he was looking at was not a bush. He went for his wand but it was too late.

Dora groaned as the man was petrified and fell straight into her gut. "Did you have to do that?" Dora hissed, not yet moving from her hiding space as she put the man at her feet.

"Well, _yes_." Barty smirked, a look that seemed odd on the face of Mad-Eye Moody.

"And did it have to be him?" Dora hissed, "Couldn't get McGonagall?"

"You want the extra hassle of trying to catch Minerva off guard you be my guest." He grunted, "Now hurry up and morph into the man. Or can you not do it?"

"Of course I can do it." Dora hissed, she looked down at her old charms professor for a few moments before with a deep breath she screwed her eyes shut and concentrated.

"Dear Merlin, warn me if you're taking his clothes off—I don't want to see that." The Death Eater hissed, looking away as the girl leaned down to the man before he smirked, "Though tell me when _you're_ getting changed."

"Piss off you pervert." Dora smirked, "I'm just taking his wand—ours aren't exactly similar. I'm transfiguring my robes." Dora did as she said, transfiguring her clothes to match his with her own wand before she pocketed it and picked the old man's up in turn. When she stepped out of the bushes Barty was still smirking down at her.

"You ought to keep your mouth shut," he said as he went to carry on with his initial patrol, he lowered his voice as Dora ran to catch up with him. "I know it's hard for you but you barely sound like Flitwick."

"I feel ridiculous." Dora rolled her eyes.

"You _look_ ridiculous." Barty laughed, they could see the beginning of the maze now and he purposely slowed his walk, "Now look, they'll tell us to split up, but you pretend to split up then stick to me, understood?"

"I can look after myself you know." Dora sighed.

"Just do as I say— _listen to orders_."

Dora didn't say another word, she could see the main crowds now and the four champions were all waiting, their Headmasters and others by their side as they readied for the game to begin. Dora made sure to keep up the charade of Flitwick's personality as she mimicked his composure to as best as she could remember from her Hogwarts days. Though before she knew it it was time to go back to patrol the maze, she let "Mad-Eye" go ahead of her, pleased when he slowed down enough for her to catch up on her much shorter legs once they were out of sight.

The man smirked as he looked down at Nymphadora, his eyes flickering in the direction of where the champions would enter as the sound of the first canon notified them that Potter would be entering the maze. She watched him as his eye whizzed furiously around the maze until he caught the spot that gave him a clear view of Potter. Dora couldn't help but admit it was slightly strange to see a man with one eye barely visible as he turned to face her, the other natural eye looking right down at her.

". . . You look strange." Dora sighed.

"So do you, _Filius_." He smirked.

"I—" Dora bit her lip as she watched the man fling a curse through the maze. "What was that for?"

"We need to make sure Potter gets to the centre of the maze now, don't we?" he grunted, turning back to the maze as he kept his wand at the ready.

"So what did you do?" Dora asked curiously.

" _I made sure he gets there_." He rolled his natural eye.

"You know what I meant." Dora sighed, looking around to ensure that McGonagall or Hagrid was not approaching.

"I know." Barty smirked, "Now shush, I need to concentrate."

Nymphadora made sure to remain silent, though she couldn't help but begin to pace the area slightly, looking to her accomplice every few moments when he would shoot another spell through the boundaries of the maze. She was sure the silence was about to kill her when suddenly the man let out a triumphant yell and she jumped at the shock of it, almost falling over the back of her robes.

"He's gone." Barty laughed, "Idiot boy took the Cedric boy with him but it needn't matter, The Dark Lord will simply dispose of him."

"They both took the Portkey?" Dora breathed, unable to help but grin herself as the man nodded. "So the plan has worked?"

"Our plan has worked," Barty said, laughing again before he grabbed Dora in his excitement, kissing her head before he let her go with a laugh, "we won't need these disguises much longer, Nymphadora. Soon our Lord will rise, stronger than ever before." The man dropped his walking stick, ripping up his left sleeve and staring at the bare skin, "If only I could see it . . . See him call those who have betrayed him and forgotten him. Though I was still loyal— _we_ are loyal. Me, Rodolphus, Bellatrix, _you._ We will be rewarded."

"Don't make me too happy," Dora laughed, "my hair may try to go pink and Flitwick with pink hair—though a funny sight—would be entirely out of character."

"I think it would suit him." Barty grinned.

"Maybe." Dora laughed, "But—"

"Oh!" Barty groaned as if pleasure was flowing through every last piece of him, leaning against the wall of the stadium as he closed his eyes and breathed, "He's called them. It is done."

"The Dark Lord has risen?" Dora asked, her eyes alive with excitement and awe as Barty nodded, "You're sure?"

"Nymphadora," Barty sighed, his eyes flickering open ever so slightly to look at the girl, "there is no mistaking the Dark Lord's call. It is as if every aspect of your very soul is screaming at you to join him, _to serve him_. In that moment you are one with him and you must answer."

"Aunt Bella once told me it burnt a bit . . ." Dora whispered, blushing slightly as Barty let out a huff of laughter at her words.

"It does." Barty shrugged, looking at the girl in earnest, "Though don't all the best things in life hurt, just a little bit?"

"I suppose . . ." Dora said, looking around them for a moment before frowning at the man, "What now?"

"Now, we wait." Barty grinned, "We must ensure that the boy cannot be saved."

"He's dead, isn't he?" Dora frowned, "Your mark—"

"The Dark Lord will not kill the boy without an audience." Barty snickered, "Not his style. People must see the _boy who lived_ die a pitiful death at his hand."

"That sounds beautiful." Dora smirked.

"It is." Barty returned the smirk, he focused both of his eyes on the girl for a small moment before he gestured for the woman to join him leant against the wall of the stadium to which she obliged.

"Should we not leave?" Dora asked.

"No . . ." Barty shook his head, "We should wait, ensure that the boy does not return . . . we will wait a little longer, then think to leave."

"Will it not become harder?" Dora frowned, "When Dumbledore realises the boys are gone—"

"We can still play our parts if needs be." Mad-Eye shrugged, "We search the grounds, that will be the first thing that he'll get his little staff to do. When that happens, we make our exit."

"That seems risky . . ."

"What's life without a little risk?" Barty shrugged.

Dora was unsure. She had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that if the boy did return it would not be as easy as Barty had said to simply leave the grounds. She cursed herself as she wondered why she had not thought of this part of the plan before, she had been so focused on ensuring that she fulfilled her task and helped Barty to deliver the boy that she had not spared a second's moment for their escape from the castle. Though she let herself trust in Barty, reassuring herself that the man had come this far in his task that he could be trusted. But wouldn't they search the maze first? Dora went to talk to Barty, though it was just at that moment that the crowd erupted in applause and Barty stood straight to attention, his eye going crazy as it searched the crowd through the maze.

"What is it?" Dora asked, straightening herself as she grabbed the man's arm, "Wait! Tell me what's happened!"

"He's back. He's injured . . . he's moving! _He's alive_! Clutching a body that is _not his_!" Barty breathed, his eyes wide before he gritted his teeth and glared at the girl as Dora gripped tighter onto his arm, "Let me go, Nymphadora. I will kill the boy myself."

"No!" Dora shook her head, suddenly sure that Barty was on the wrong path, "You can't!"

"I can and I will!" Barty growled, "I have a plan, Nymphadora, now let go!"

"Your plan flawed." Dora shook her head, now in a panic as she looked to the man pleadingly, "Potter knows he is back! He will warn them, he may know very well by now who you _truly are_ or at least the fact that the cup was a portkey and _you_ placed it there! This will alert Dumbledore of your true identity!"

"The Dark Lord needs him dead!" Barty hissed, pulling his arm away as he went to storm off but Nymphadora quickly ran in front of him.

"And what if The Dark Lord doesn't need him dead? What if the resurrection hasn't worked yet?"

"The Mark—"

"Has been going off all year!" Dora snapped, "It has been getting more and more powerful and who is to say that he was not able to call his followers simply because Potter was there? What if he wanted to make a show of his resurrection, prove to his followers that he could do such a thing and was unable to complete the task before the boy escaped?"

"Then we must get Potter and bring him to him." Barty hissed.

"With all of those people around him?" It was Dora's turn to laugh, "You think Dumbledore will allow you to kill Potter yourself? . . . _He is The Dark Lord's the kill_. Besides, is it not better for us to return to The Dark Lord to aid him than have both of us die trying to fulfil a task that is rightfully his and his alone?"

Barty glared at the girl furiously, an internal battle going on within his mind before clearly, the girl's judgement won. "If this is the wrong choice, it is your choice, understood?"

"Understood." Dora nodded.

Relief flooded her as the man grabbed her arm roughly, drawing his wand and storming to find a weak spot in the stands far from the crowd. Through the cries and swarm of worried voices, it was easy to see how Barty blowing a small hole in the back of the stands of the stadium went unnoticed. Dora struggled to keep up with his long strides as they slipped through the hole and made their escape, looking back constantly terrified that Dumbledore himself would soon be after them. It was only as they reached the safety of the forest that Dora let herself morph back to her usual self, transfiguring her robes as she was grateful to see that Barty's polyjuice potion was beginning to lose effect. They didn't speak as they made their way back to their master, though Dora could not help the screams of thought racing through her mind as she worried about the consequences of their decision to run.


	26. Morsmordre

Nymphadora didn't speak as Barty grabbed her arm, disapparating the pair of them to the boundaries of the graveyard of Little Hangleton. The man's eyes met her own as for a moment time seemed to still, unspoken words of what was to come passing between them. Barty let go of the girl, snapping his gaze away from her as he nodded towards the graveyard. They walked in silence to meet their comrades. As they reached the graveyard's edge Nymphadora looked to see her Aunt catch her gaze, with a quick glance back to those surrounding her she ran to meet her niece.

"Well?" Bellatrix breathed, a crazed look in her eyes that Nymphadora had not seen too often before now.

"Well, _what_?" Barty grunted.

"Well, _what of the boy_?" Bellatrix hissed, glaring at the man for a moment before she looked to her niece, "Did he get back? What state was he in?"

Dora felt as if her throat had closed up, any sound unwilling to come out as she could not force herself to admit to her Aunt that they boy was alive and near enough well. She dreaded to think how she would explain what had happened to The Dark Lord if she couldn't do something as simple as explaining it to her own flesh and blood. She was grateful as Barty stepped forward, half obscuring Bella's view from her.

"We need to report to The Dark Lord, Bellatrix." Barty hissed, "Where is he?"

"Did it work?" the words fell out of Dora's mouth without thinking.

A shadow of a smirk fell across Bella's dark lips, nodding back towards the centre of the graveyard as she looked to her niece. "See for yourself."

Barty strode forward, Dora tearing her gaze away from her Aunt after a moment to follow Barty. There were still a few men within the graveyard, some of whom Nymphadora recognised vaguely. She couldn't help but let herself smirk a little as she saw her Uncle Lucius, looking pale and slightly dishevelled as he spoke with Rodolphus. It was as she went to pass these men that Nymphadora groaned at the unexpected sensation of colliding into the back of Barty Crouch Jr. She went to right herself, though before she could the man had grabbed her arm and forced her to kneel on the floor beside him.

"My Lord!" Barty cried, "You have risen, I—"

"Where is the boy?" the cold voice of Lord Voldemort sent chills down Dora's back, though she risked raising her head as her curiosity got the better of her. It was a sight to behold. The man she had gotten used to resembling a small, weak-looking, disturbing half-creature was now nothing that she could recognise. The man was tall and thin, with no hair, his skin was of a pale hue that was near translucent and his eyes were a piercing red colour. As he stared down at her with those cruel eyes, his long fingers clasped tightly around his wand, Nymphadora Tonks would have sworn that the man was attempting to stare into her very soul.

"Well?" the man hissed with a tone of impatience.

"He is at Hogwarts, My Lord." Barty said, far more clearly and with a tone of confidence that Nymphadora was sure her own voice would lack at present.

"Yet you are here . . ." Lord Voldemort mused.

Barty took a moment before he dared speak again, "He brought back the corpse of the Diggory boy, Dumbledore and the likes were surrounding him—Potter was injured."

"Yes," Voldemort hummed, "a feat that I wish I could take credit for, though it was our dear Bella that near enough sliced the boy in half as the rest of my followers stumbled like a bunch of dim-witted trolls."

Dora forced herself to remain staring at the man, though a small giggle from behind her let her know that Bellatrix was listening in to their conversation and she was sure the rest of the graveyard was also listening intently for she could no longer hear the quiet murmurs of conversation previously present.

"So the boy lives . . . alive at Hogwarts under the watchful eye of Albus Dumbledore." Voldemort near enough whispered his words, making them all the more chilling to the young witch, "Yet here you two kneel before me. Tell me, why did you not pursue the boy?"

Dora could feel her insides squirming again, far more than they had that morning as she was sure whatever was wriggling in her stomach was about to burst from her chest and kill her dead. She remembered what Barty had told her earlier, ' _if this is the wrong choice, it is your choice.'_ It was starting to look like what she feared had come true and this _was_ the wrong choice. She went to open her mouth, taking a deep breath to steady her voice.

"Potter knew you were back, he was sure to alert Dumbledore the second he arrived at Hogwarts." To her amazement, it was Barty that spoke, looking directly at his Lord with confidence as the man raised a hairless eyebrow at him, "Dumbledore knew that I had been the one that placed the cup there, it would not have taken him long to blame me. The boy was surrounded as it was and I was unclear if you had succeeded in your resurrection. We did not know if it was safe to kill him or if you still needed him. Besides, he is _yours_ to kill—no-one else's."

"You doubted my ability to use the boy for my resurrection?" Voldemort hissed, "Did you not feel the call, Crouch? The power of that alone should have been enough to alert you to my resurrection, look at your mark, is it not black as the night and full of power yet again?"

"I could not see the mark, My Lord . . ." Barty bowed his head.

Dora bit back a gasp as with a hiss of the cruciatus curse Barty was thrown to the floor, squirming in his pain for a moment or two before it was lifted nearly as quickly as it was placed. She stared at Barty with her eyes wide, forgetting that she was being watched until she felt the grip on her chin. Lord Voldemort twisted her head to look up at him, his long, sharp, pale blue fingernails digging slightly into her flesh as she forced herself not to show the fear she was truly feeling on her features. From the cold smirk of the powerful wizard now towering above her, she was sure that her attempt to hide her fear had been in vain.

"You agree with these comments?" Voldemort questioned, "You agree with the decision to leave Hogwarts? To blow both of your covers?"

"I—" Dora swallowed hard, "It's like Barty said; his cover was blown. If they searched the maze they would have found out I wasn't actually Flitwick . . . I thought it was best that you have two servants return to you rather than have us be killed or imprisoned attempting to carry out a task, the honour of which is yours and yours alone . . . My Lord."

Lord Voldemort considered her, his fingernails tracing her cheeks as she was sure she would have scratch marks to rid herself of later. Though she didn't flinch, she knelt before him unspeaking as Barty pulled himself to kneel again beside her. With a small grunt, and to her relief, the man released his grip on her. He stepped away, looking at both of them in turn.

"I must admit, you both have carried out a great task for me." Voldemort mused, "Perhaps without your help, Barty, we would not have made it to tonight. And Nymphadora, your part in ensuring that the boy made it to me—and that I had _two_ loyal servants return to me was clearly instrumental . . ." the man paused for a moment before he gave a small nod. Barty raised himself to his feet, Dora hesitating for a moment before she copied him. She was almost grateful as she felt a tug on the back of her robes, her Aunt pulling her back to stand beside her in the small semi-circle that she was unaware had formed behind them. "You all stand before me, ready for service, correct?" Voldemort smirked as the crowd replied, Bellatrix cheering loudest of all, "Though some of you have already proven that your loyalty has never faltered," the man's gaze paused where Nymphadora stood with her Aunt and Uncle, Barty now stood on the other side of her and Peter Pettigrew clutching what Dora swore was a silver hand, "others are yet to prove this. Though, Lord Voldemort is nothing if not forgiving. So, let us move on from the past and look forward to our future, let us put a little more fear back into the Wizarding World as we put it to rights." Another cheer echoed through the crowd and Dora couldn't help but join in as her Aunt let out a laugh of delight. "Leave me, I have much to attend to, though be ready for my call."

Dora looked around the crowd, all disappearing one by one. She locked eyes with Barty Crouch Jr for a split second before he left. She was almost disappointed to leave as she followed Rodolphus and Bellatrix. As Bellatrix near enough danced her way through the manor, the other two occupants of the home following her without question as she burst into the drawing room and danced with glee around the room. The joy was contagious, and as her Aunt grabbed her and hugged her tightly before demanding that her husband was to dance with her and wandlessly turning the wireless on Dora couldn't help but feel her spirits lift. The fear and nerves of the day was a near distant memory. Though hours later when Bellatrix had tired herself from her dancing and taken her husband to bed, and when Nymphadora Tonks lay alone in the quiet of her own room she couldn't help but think of one particular wizard. Why had Barty stood up for her? Why had he taken the blame for the actions that led to them leaving Hogwarts? She fell asleep with those, and many more, questions on repeat in her mind.

* * *

Dora was sat in the library, stretched out on the plush dark green chaise longue as she flipped through a copy of _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_. She was almost bored after her Aunt had become suddenly busy as she was called to The Dark Lord, the woman had not had time for their usual training session. It was to be expected, both her Aunt and Uncle seemed rather busy of late, coming to and from the manor at all hours. If she was truly honest with herself she was slightly jealous. She had done enough for The Dark Lord so far, why was _she_ not being called into action the same way they were? Dora sighed, twisting her violet locks around her fingers as she re-read the same paragraph again. She had been reading for at least a couple of hours when the door to the library creaked open. The metamorphmagus grinned as she saw her Aunt pop her head around the corner.

"Can we train now?" Dora asked, sitting up slightly and moving her feet out of the way as her Aunt came to sit on the end of the chair.

"We won't be training today," Bella shook her head, amused as her niece pouted, "I do like your enthusiasm though."

"Why can't we train?" Dora sighed, "I'm bored and you said that training was very important."

"I did." Bella agreed "It is."

"So if it's important, we should do it." Dora jumped to her feet, yelping in surprise as her Aunt grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the seat. She had to stop herself falling off the other side in her clumsiness and blushed as her Aunt let out a giggle at her expense. "Ouch."

"That didn't hurt." Bellatrix rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"You don't know that." Dora said, sighing as her Aunt raised an eyebrow at her, "Okay it didn't hurt, but still . . . _mean_."

Dora frowned, sitting back in the seat as a suddenly serious look came over her Aunt's features, the woman near enough whispering her next words "There are more important things than training today, Nymphadora."

"Like what?" Dora mimicked her Aunt's whisper, suddenly drawn in and eager to listen to every last syllable Bellatrix had to speak to her. Her Aunt moved closer to her, Nymphadora staring into her dark eyes as Bellatrix took her hand in her own.

"Today is an important day, Nymphadora." Bellatrix breathed, "The Dark Lord called upon me earlier, as you know, we have been discussing something very important—or should I say _someone_." Bellatrix grinned as Dora's eyes widened slightly.

"Me?" Dora asked, her Aunt nodding slightly.

"Yes, you." She laughed, squeezing the girls hand. "We believe it is time that you join the ranks of The Dark Lord—officially."

Dora's jaw went slack, her eyes now wide like saucers as she let out a small breath, "You mean, _take the mark_?"

"Yes," Bella smirked, amused at the girl's reaction, "I mean unless you don't want to." Bellatrix shrugged, letting go of the girl's hand and going to get up "And if that's the case I would speak now or—"

Dora quickly reached out, grabbing her Aunt's arm as she nodded frantically, "Yes. I mean, _yes_ , I want to."

Bellatrix cocked her head to the side, the young metamorphmagus was near enough begging her to be able to join the Dark Lord. It was all the Death Eater could do to stop herself from bursting into laughter; a task she once thought would be difficult and took such care in preparing for was now made seemingly easy. "Good." was all Bella could bring herself to say without letting her amusement show too much.

"So . . ." Dora let go of her Aunt's arm, moving her hands to nervously twist them in her lap, looking down to stare at them, "What happens? What do I have to do?"

Bellatrix licked her lips, her eyes alive with malicious glee as she reached out one of her talon-like fingernails, hooking her finger underneath the girl's chin and gently raising her gaze to look at her. Their dark eyes met and the older witch made the most of the anticipation in the air before she finally lowered her finger and began to speak so quietly that the girl had to lean in to hear. "He will be here in one hour. Traditionally, the inner circle are called to witness such an event. Your Uncle and I included, of course . . . You have already proven that you have the ability to serve him. Though you must prove that you are willing to do _anything_ for his cause."

"I am." Dora breathed.

"I know that." Bellatrix continued, "So this shall be a simple task for you . . . You have already been taught the unforgivable curses, I taught you myself so I have great confidence in your abilities. But the time for using such spells on small animals and vermin are gone. You have only used two of the unforgivable curses on a person . . ."

". . . Who must I kill?" Dora asked, trying and failing to keep the slight nerves from her voice.

"Does it matter?" Bella asked.

"I suppose not." Dora murmured.

"Killing a man is easy, Nymphadora." Bellatrix hummed, "It's only petty scum . . . You're doing them a kindness really, such _filth_ walking around the place—they will only be killed _or worse_ when the Dark Lord truly comes into power. Though it is always best to 'put on a show' in such circumstances."

". . . You've killed before, haven't you?" Dora asked, though she didn't need her Aunt to speak to know the answer.

"Yes." Bella nodded. The younger woman was almost grateful as her Aunt reached her hand to cup her face, her thumb stroking her cheek in an almost reassuring fashion. "It's simple, like putting out the last flame of a candle or squashing an irritating bug. The first one is always a little different . . . Can you do it, Dora? _I_ believe you can. But do you believe in yourself?"

"Yes." Dora nodded, if her Aunt thought that she could do it, then she was sure she could.

"Nymphadora," Bellatrix gave the girl a reassuring smile, "I have every faith that you are more than capable. You have come so far, from that little girl I met in Diagon Alley. You have shown that you are willing to do everything and anything for freedom from those who doubt you, respect, _power . ._. As I have said; I don't doubt you, Dora. You will do great things in his service . . . I'm already so proud of you— _Don't disappoint me_."

Dora felt calmed by her Aunt's words, assured that she would not only be okay but she would be _brilliant_. All nerves had temporarily left her. Though as she stood outside the ballroom of Lestrange Manor, knowing who was inside waiting for her and what was about to happen, she couldn't help it as the nerves came back to squirm in her stomach like serpents. She gripped tightly onto the skirts of her pitch-black dress, unable to help but catch her gaze in the grand mirror a little way down the corridor. She looked the part, thanks to her Aunt. Her hair was a light shade of silver pulled neatly into a plat, it was Bella's suggestion to choose such a colour as she said if the girl got scared and accidentally let her hair go white it would be less noticeable to the group at large. Though she knew such a thing would never go unnoticed by the Dark Lord. Dora placed one hand on her corset as she closed her eyes, taking slow and steady breaths to try and calm herself. A little grin played on her red lips, for all of her nerves she could not help but be excited by what laid before her. It was as she was smiling to herself that she heard the doors to the room open and she snapped her eyes open to meet her fate.

The grand room was much darker than usual, with few sconces lit towards the end of the room. Dora walked dutifully towards those waiting for her. The Dark Lord stood, regal in his stature, at the head of his servants who had lined up either side of him to stare down at her. The young metamorphmagus gazed briefly at those either side. All were dressed in their dark formal robes, masks obscuring the most of their features. Though there were some that she could recognise, her Aunt was the only woman in the room stood to the right of her Lord with a smirk gracing her dark lips, there was no doubt the taller man beside her was her husband. Her Uncle Lucius stood next to a cloaked figure to the left of Voldemort, Dora able to recognise him from the flecks of silver blonde hair protruding from his hood. Though as she stopped a few feet from the man she was soon to call her master there was no drawing her gaze away from his cold stare, unable to attempt to recognise the rest in the room.

"Nymphadora . . ." her name on the man's thin lips sent a shiver down her spine, though she stood tall, determined to seem strong, "You come here, wishing to join my ranks, correct?"

"Yes, My Lord." Dora spoke without hesitation.

"You are ready to serve me?" Voldemort cocked a hairless eyebrow, "To unquestionably do as you are instructed without hesitation?"

"Yes, My Lord."

Voldemort considered the girl for a moment, his penetrating red eyes running over her stature painfully slowly before he gave a slight nod. Dora didn't dare break her gaze as a man broke off from the end of the group, though from the corner of her gaze she could see him pull back to a discrete corner to something hidden in the shadows. "You have proven your worth so far—or else you would not be stood here. It seems, despite the _filth_ you come from, you have forsaken that heritage to become a potentially useful and loyal servant." Voldemort paused for a moment, the man Dora now recognised to be Pettigrew from the flash of his silver hand had dragged the lifeless form of a dishevelled witch to her feet. Though still, she dared not to break her gaze from The Dark Lord. "We must not all be judged from where we come though, should we, Nymphadora?"

"No, My Lord." Dora spoke with confidence, "I can assure you I am nothing like my parents, I left them behind me many years ago."

"Good . . ." Voldemort slipped his wand from within his robes, the flick of the wood barely noticeable as the witch before her began to stir on the floor, "You have proven that you are willing to use unforgivable curses, though your Aunt tells me there is one you are yet to use on a person. To join my ranks, you must prove that you are willing to do anything . . . Our guest tonight, is Miss Enid Smith. Now, Miss Smith is a mudblood—" a few of the men in the room hissed at the word, Bellatrix herself perhaps loudest of all, "—she has been working for the Ministry. We have all the information we need from her now and it would be foolish to let her return . . . I care not how you kill her Nymphadora, just get it done."

Nymphadora gave a nod, drawing her wand as she finally looked down at the victim by her feet. The woman already looked as though one of The Dark Lord's followers had had their fun with her. Her lip was split, her dirty blonde hair matted with blood and from the way she tried to push herself away from her Nymphadora guessed that at least her leg was broken.

"Please . . ." Enid stared up at the girl begging as she continued to shuffle away, screeching in fear mingled with pain as with a subtle spell from Bellatrix she was given a push back to Dora. "Y-You're Nymphadora?" the woman snivelled pleadingly, "Nymphadora _Tonks_? I knew your father! I was at school with him! He was a good man, he wouldn't want you to do this nor would your mother, she—Ah!" screams of agony echoed off the walls as the woman twisted and turned on the floor, clawing at her own face to try and escape the pain of Nymphadora's curse.

It only stopped as Dora stormed over to the woman, grabbing her by the hair and bringing her face close to her own as she hissed "They are no parents of mine, I do not associate with that family anymore." Dora glared furiously as the woman whimpered in her grasp, though she didn't relent, "do not tar me with the same brush as them." She looked down at the woman, letting go of her hair as she let her crash to the floor with a sickening thud. It was then that her Aunt's words echoed through her mind; _put on a show._

She struck her wand down hard and fast, flinching as the large cut she had caused across the woman's cheek was created with such force that blood splattered on her face. Though she did not care, she knew what she had to do. It was if the rest of the world melted away from around her, thinking only of her task and how to carry it out in the best way possible. She made use of nearly all the dark curses that her Aunt had taught her throughout her years. Enid screamed as a quick jab of a spell caused each bone in her already broken leg to shatter, cried out as the cuts and grazes over her body only seemed to deepen with a twist of the woman's wand, strangled cries escaping at each and every torment the girl put her through. It seemed as if hours had passed, though in truth it was only minutes, as the older woman lay taking in shallow breaths with a glassy-eyed stare unfocused on the grand chandelier swaying slightly above them. Nymphadora paid no mind to the blood pooling around the woman as she decided her task was done. She took one last look at her distraught features as she whispered the deadly spell; " _Avada Kedavra_ " and for the first time in her life, Nymphadora Tonks had become a murderer.

It was as if she was pulled out of a daydream as the slow clap of Lord Voldemort echoed the room and Nymphadora looked up to see him smirking coldly down at her as he made his way towards her. She was panting for breath, barely realising how much energy such a task had taken from her though at the same time she was ready and raring for so much more. She couldn't help her small smile as Voldemort held his hand out to her over the body before her and asked for her own. She gave her left hand without thought, watching with bated breath as he turned her wrist to expose her bare forearm, his wand trailing up her skin until he pressed down hard. " _Morsmordre_."

She couldn't help but let out a hiss of pain. It was as if her very bones were on fire as the smoke like tendrils seeped from his wand and onto her pale flesh. She clenched her fist to steady the pain, digging her nails into her palm. Though even as she did this The Dark Lord drew away and she stared with wide-eyed awe at the skull and snake standing fresh and proud on her skin, the rush of dark magic thrumming through her whole body as she knew she was now _his_. Voldemort moved back to the head of the room and without needing instruction, the rest of his servants moved to stand beside their newest member. Their masks had now been removed and Dora couldn't help but grin back at her Aunt as she stood beside her, the small crowd turning to face their master.

"Well done, Nymphadora . . . I believe you have created quite a mess for your poor elf to clean up." He smirked as his followers chuckled at his comment, now looking to the group as a whole. "One more has joined our ranks and soon many more will also join us. We will find new comrades, as well as ensuring that those that have been so wrongly held for many years are returned to us. We will once again be feared as we take control of the Wizarding World." The group cheered, "Though for now, you must all go and carry on the charade of your well respected, innocent lives . . . Snape," Dora couldn't help but look at her old potions master, she had not noticed him before and was more than surprised to see him back among the Dark Lord's ranks, "you will take Pettigrew, keep him hidden."

"Yes, My Lord." Snape drawled.

"Rodolphus, Bellatrix. You were a force to be reckoned with at one time, you both, Barty, Rabastan . . ." Voldemort let his gaze rest on Rodolphus as the man could not help but show his excitement at the prospect of his brother, "take young Barty and soon I will ensure Rabastan joins you."

"Yes, My Lord." Bellatrix and Rodolphus said in unison, Rodolphus adding his thanks.

"Now leave." Voldemort spoke firmly, "Bellatrix, _stay_."

Nymphadora did not miss the flinch of her Uncle, though as the others bowed and left the room she followed suit. She stopped outside the grand doors as they closed behind her, surprised to see her Uncle storming off ahead of her.

"Barty!" She hissed as the man took her shoulder and turned her to face her, "What are you playing at?"

"Well," Barty smirked, "I don't know where I'm going, do I? It's been a long time since I've been in this manor. Care to show me to my room?"

"No." Dora said firmly. "Ask the elf to show you to the guest wing—take your pick of the rooms for all I care."

"Charming . . ." Barty sighed, reaching out to the girl's face, "You have a little something." He grinned as he showed the girl his hand, blood from her face on his fingers, "You best get washed."

". . . I'll wait for Aunt Bella first." Dora said.

"You'll be waiting a while." Barty sniggered, "Besides, silencing wards or not, I don't think either of them will appreciate you listening in to their little escapades."

Dora frowned, "What—?"

"Don't be naïve." Barty rolled his eyes, "You and I know what they're doing in there just as much as Rodolphus— _and the rest of us_ —do. Though I wouldn't mention it, I tried talking to Rodolphus about it once and it did _not_ go well." He smirked as the realisation settled on Dora's face, "Not a pleasant thought, is it? But you did well in there, Nymphie. I'm impressed."

"Thanks." Dora blushed slightly as the man continued to smirk at her.

"You're welcome." Barty winked, before with a sigh he turned and walked away, "I'll see you later, Nymphie. I'll make sure to let you know what room I choose!"

Nymphadora Tonks rolled her eyes. She spared one last gaze at the doors of the ballroom (shuddering slightly as she thought of what Barty had just told her) before she turned off for her bathroom. She spent more time than she would care to admit resting within the bath, having to change the water once or twice as the bubbles seeped to red from the amount of blood on her skin. A smirk graced her lips though as she stared down at her mark, tracing her finger over the raised skin as she thought of all that was ahead of her in her life as a Death Eater.


	27. Shadows

Nymphadora was laid in the garden, hidden within the shadows of the trees as she silently begged for some sort of breeze to alleviate some of the hot summers day heat. It was true that she could stay in the manor, with cooling charms active throughout the home she knew she would be cooler inside. Though as she pulled at her light cotton summers dress (a pale blue with intricate stitching of flowers around the skirt), cursing the fact that her uncle had told her it was in no way appropriate to go and 'sunbathe in her knickers in the garden', she didn't regret staying outside. What with four people now living at the manor, along with meetings taking place and the seemingly constant flow of people discreetly visiting she was starting to feel rather claustrophobic in the large home.

"Nymphie." Barty smiled at the girl as he walked into her eye line, raising an eyebrow at her appearance whilst towering over her. "You know you can't catch a tan in the shadows . . . though I suppose you could morph yourself one if you wanted." He shrugged, ignoring the girl rolling her eyes at him as he lowered himself to the ground to lay beside her.

"What are you doing out here?" Dora asked, shuffling away from him slightly as she propped herself up on her elbow to look down at him. "Shouldn't you be hidden away in the shadows somewhere? What if someone comes to visit?"

Barty laughed at this. "Who will come to visit? The only people your Aunt and Uncle are allowing into this manor at the moment are Death Eaters or people that needn't care about my being here . . . or they won't live to tale to tale."

"The Ministry could come knocking." Dora shrugged. "Imagine explaining that away—'Why hello Minister, please do come in—Oh, _no_ that is not an escaped supposed dead convict in our back garden, you must be seeing things.'"

"Well, your Uncle does have a talent for explaining things away." Barty smirked.

"That hardly surprises me, though I'm not sure his talent stretches quite that far." Dora sighed, "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"I wanted to see you." Barty pouted at the girl, sitting up to meet the young woman's gaze, "I tried to find you last night but apparently your Aunt instructed your elf not to tell me where your bedroom was."

"Really?" Dora couldn't help but blush a little, both at the idea of Barty wanting to find her bedroom and that her Aunt thought it was necessary to give their elf such an instruction. "Well, it's hardly right for you to be looking for me in my bedroom in the middle of the night. I can't blame Aunt Bella for stopping that—I'm thankful in fact. If you turned up in my room in the middle of the night you'd get a curse thrown right at you."

"I never said it was the middle of the night," Barty said, "it was your mind that went to the gutter, tut tut Nymphie—Ugh!" Barty grunted as the young witch shoved his shoulder, causing him to fall backwards.

"Don't call me Nymphie." Dora huffed, going to get up from the floor before she shrieked in surprise, the man had grabbed her arm and pulled her down so quickly that she had fallen flat on her back.

Barty quickly moved himself, grabbing the girl's wrists and pinning her to the grass as he leant over her with a devilish grin on his features "Or what, _Nymphie_?"

Nymphadora stared up at the older man, her heart beginning to pound faster in her chest he pressed himself against her. She opened and closed her mouth, trying and failing to get her words out whilst she couldn't help but fall into the mischievous gaze of Barty Crouch Jr. She gasped in shock as the man jolted and swore, rolling off of the girl in an instant.

"Was that _really_ necessary?" Barty hissed, rubbing his shoulder.

"I—" Dora frowned in confusion, though as she watched the man glare behind her she quickly sat up and turned to follow his gaze.

Bellatrix Lestrange did not look amused. Her wand still pointed at the man from the stinging hex she had flung at him as she carried on walking towards them, her eyes narrowed at the man. "You tell me, _Crouch_." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the man, her gaze temporarily flickering to her niece who looked down to hide her blush. "I said you could tell Nymphadora about the meeting. I did not give you permission to roll around in the grass like a dog on heat."

"I can't remember you specifically saying _not_ to." Barty muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing Bella." Barty smiled innocently up at the woman, though Nymphadora didn't miss the man flinch as Bellatrix raised her wand slightly again. "I'll see you inside, shall I?" Barty didn't wait for an answer, not daring to look at Bellatrix as he got to his feet though he spared a quick glance at the witch still on the floor before he practically ran back into the manor.

Bellatrix sighed audibly, pocketing her wand before she walked over to her niece and took her hand to pull her to her feet. Nymphadora didn't dare look at her Aunt, worried she was about to be told off or hexed as well, not to mention the fact that her heart was still pounding from having Barty so close to her in such a way. She bit her lip as her Aunt hooked a finger under her chin, bringing her head up to look at the witch. It was in that moment that Nymphadora Tonks realised that her Aunt could be just as intimidating as The Dark Lord himself, with her heavy-lidded gaze boring into her own. She realised a little too late that her Aunt was probably trying to read her thoughts as the older witch couldn't help the twitch of a smirk on her lips before she returned to her serious gaze.

"What were you doing with Barty?" Bellatrix asked, removing her hand from the girl.

"Nothing." Dora said instinctively. "I mean, I shoved him because he called me _Nymphie_ a-and he was just trying to get back at me I suppose."

"Hmm . . ." Bellatrix paused for a moment before she shook her head, "Be careful around him. He—" Bellatrix chewed her words for a moment before she rolled her eyes "He may not have the best of intentions. You're young, a metamorphmagus . . . I can see how you may even be seen as desirable in a way. Though Barty is . . . a character."

"Right." Dora nodded, unsure of what else to say as she searched desperately for a change of topic. "You said there was a meeting?"

"Dining room. Top of the hour." Bellatrix confirmed, looking the girl up and down with a wrinkle of her nose, "Though change out of that bloody dress. I knew I shouldn't have let Narcissa take you clothes shopping after she brought you that pink monstrosity the first time." Nymphadora couldn't help but laugh a little as her Aunt turned and began to walk back towards the manor, calling behind her "Wear something black!"

* * *

Her palms were sweating as the skirts of her long black corseted dress swept along the floor. She decided that the moment this meeting was done with she would change back into her summers dress—as much as her Aunt had let her distaste of it be known she couldn't help but want to be in anything else than one her of black pieces in the middle of the summer heat. She took a deep breath as she saw the door to the dining room was slightly ajar. It was true that she had been to 'meetings' with the Dark Lord before, but this was the first time since she had been marked and it was nothing like her and one or two others huddled in a dark room at the old Riddle home. She paused for a moment at the door, slightly taken back as multiple faces looked at her from their seats.

"Come sit here, Dora." Bellatrix called out from her seat beside what was clearly to be Lord Voldemort's at the head of the table, gesturing to an empty seat between herself and Rodolphus.

She quickly obeyed, trying to ignore the others in the room. As she slipped into her seat however she couldn't help but notice the faces surrounding her. Severus Snape sat opposite her Aunt, a look of boredom on his features as his gaze only flickered to her for a moment, Lucius Malfoy sat opposite her Uncle looking decidedly more pale than usual, the others in the room she mainly recognised from the night of The Dark Lords return though she did not know all of their names. It was Barty that caught her attention, a smug look on his features as he stared at her. She couldn't help the twinge of a smile on her lips before the man caught her Aunt's gaze, rolling his eyes at her warning glare before he looked away.

The moment The Dark Lord entered the room the whole atmosphere changed. The quiet chatter of the men towards the other end of the table immediately ceased, each witch and wizard within the room rising to stand as he approached the head of the table. He paused for a moment, looking at each and every person in the room before with a curt nod he sat down, the rest of the room quickly following his lead.

"I will not dilly dally," Lord Voldemort announced, "we have important matters to discuss . . . Before I start, does anyone have anything to present to me?"

"My Lord," Lucius looked to his master with confidence, Dora noted the usual arrogance in his demeanour was near enough non-existent as he addressed the man, "I was at the Ministry today, I happened to pass the Improper Use of Magic Office . . . They have attempted to expel Potter from Hogwarts."

Bellatrix let out a cackle of laughter, others around the room chuckling or grinning in amusement at this information. Though Voldemort did not even crack a smile, looking to his blonde servant as he raised a hand to silence the room. " _Attempted_ to expel him?" he asked, "Tell me what you heard, Lucius."

"Dumbledore interfered." Lucius wrinkled his nose in distaste for a moment before he carried on, "The boy was attacked by dementors in his muggle neighbourhood. He cast a Patronus in front of his Muggle cousin. The boy now has a hearing booked for the 12th of August, where it is to be decided if the boy should return to Hogwarts or have his wand snapped in two."

"Dementors?" Voldemort raised a hairless eyebrow, "What were Dementors doing there?"

"I do not know, My Lord." Lucius shook his head.

"Poor Dumbledore will probably think it was us." Bellatrix giggled.

"Let him." Voldemort said simply, "Let him fear that we have control of the Dementors . . . well, we will have them soon. Lucius, keep an eye on the boy's trial."

"Yes, My Lord." Lucius said obediently.

"Now, the matter at hand." Voldemort said, looking again to the room at large. "Severus, you say that Dumbledore has his suspicions of what we are trying to obtain?"

"Yes, My Lord." Snape said.

"Then we must go about this in ways that he may not suspect . . . Rodolphus?" the man looked to his master immediately, giving him his full attention, "I will need yourself and Nymphadora to carry out a task for me." The Dark Lord smirked slightly as Nymphadora immediately straightened in her seat and looked to her master, "I need all of the eyes and ears that I can get within the ministry. Now, I understand that the women of the Lestrange—nor the Black family for that matter—tend to work. Though I believe Nymphadora can at least seem to be an exception to this rule, given her circumstances. You are to take the girl to the Ministry, under the guise of her looking to work there. She has lived with you since she was a girl, she has no family inheritance to truly gain, it would not be seen as suspicious for you to encourage her to get a job of her own rather than have her drain you for gold for the entirety of her life." Nymphadora bit her lip slightly, suddenly wondering if Rodolphus had ever actually thought of her as a drain or a burden in such a way. "You have connections in the Ministry, take her there. Though whilst doing so I wish for you—for both of you—to see if you can gather any information, anything that may help us."

"Yes, My Lord." Rodolphus said without question.

"Will you be able to do this, Nymphadora?" Voldemort asked the girl, the sound of her own name sending chills down her spine.

"Yes, My Lord." Nymphadora nodded.

"Good . . . Now, I need reports. Snape?"

Nymphadora zoned out slightly after that, barely listening as the rest of the group gave updates on whatever small quest the Dark Lord had given them as all she could think of was her upcoming task and the possibility of having to get a job at the ministry. She was almost grateful when the meeting ended. Her Aunt did not stay behind this time, instead seeming quite intent on taking her with her from the dining room as quickly as possible (Nymphadora had a small suspicion it was something to do with the fact that Barty had gone to approach her).

"You're not a drain." Bellatrix said quite unexpectedly as they entered the training room.

"What?" Dora asked, slightly perplexed.

"The money, Nymphadora." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "You don't live off of Rod's money anyway. I brought enough Black gold into this marriage to support four of you for a lifetime."

"Oh . . ." Nymphadora said. She had no longer been worrying about her potential drain on the Lestrange fortune, now more focused on the upcoming trip to the Ministry. Neither witch spoke after that, Bellatrix falling into a duelling stance as they carried on their routine of training. It was hours later that she made her way to her own bedroom. Ready to take off her dress and collapse in exhaustion. She closed the door behind her, sighing as she pressed her head to the cool wood for a slight moment.

"Hello, Nymphie."

Nymphadora screeched as she quickly turned, drawing her wand despite the fact that she managed to trip and have to grab onto her cabinet to stay standing. "How did you get in here?!" Dora demanded, pressing a hand to her heart as she tried to steady herself. "I thought the elf wouldn't tell you where my room was?"

"It wouldn't." Barty shrugged, moving out from the shadows of Dora's room so that she could see him more clearly, "Rodolphus told me."

"Rodolphus?" Nymphadora demanded, confused as the man nodded with an innocent smile, "He told you to go hide in the shadows in here? Why would—? Bellatrix said—"

"You forget I've known Rodolphus for a long time— probably since before you were born, Nymphie. I can convince him to tell me things sometimes." Barty shrugged. "I merely pointed out that you could do with some words of encouragement, something probably best coming from someone nearer your own age."

"You're older than me by about fifteen years." Nymphadora rolled her eyes.

"Ouch." Barty mocked offence, "Eleven, actually."

"Why are you here, Barty?" Dora asked, straightening herself up and looking at him with feigned indifference.

"Don't say you're not pleased to see me." Barty grinned, laughing as the girl rolled her eyes at him, "I see that shadow of a smirk on your face."

"Hmm." Dora walked over to her bed, sitting down and kicking her heels off, ignoring the man as he sat next to her. "You know Aunt Bella will kill you if she finds you in here."

"No, she wouldn't."

"Well, she'd curse you at the least." Dora said, "She told me to 'be careful' around you, you know."

"Oh?" Barty raised an eyebrow, "And why is that?"

"I don't think she liked you pinning me to the grass like that." Dora laughed in her sudden nerves.

"Well, it doesn't matter what your Aunt likes, does it?" Nymphadora didn't realise that the man was moving his hand until she felt his gentle touch on her knee. She turned her head to look at him.

"You know . . ." Dora swallowed hard, "I never thanked you for taking the brunt of the blame for the whole Potter thing . . . You said the blame would be on me."

"Well," Barty sighed dramatically, "I decided that you looked so lost and scared that I had to be the bigger person and be your protector."

"My hero." Dora laughed.

Barty couldn't help but smile as he watched the girl, taking his chances as he reached up and touched her face, "You don't need protecting. You're a capable and powerful witch even if you don't quite realise that yourself yet."

"Thanks . . ." Dora breathed. The man was slowly getting closer, she could feel his breath on her face as they stared deeply into each other's eyes. A contented smirk was on his features, Dora's breath catching in her throat as he pressed her lips to hers, his hand now tangled in her pink locks as she closed her eyes. She snaked her hand to his shoulder, returning his kiss with a heated passion. Though before she knew it he pulled away, leaving her to flutter her eyelids open again as he looked to her with a coy smile.

"I better leave, lest your Aunt come and kill me." Barty breathed.

Nymphadora watched dumbly as he stood up and left the room, the door slowly clicking shut behind him. With a groan she fell back onto the bed, lifting her hand to touch her lips as she couldn't help but wonder if she would be foolish not to heed her Aunt's warning about Barty Crouch Jr.


	28. The Ministry of Magic

Rodolphus moaned as a delicate hand reached to rest on his bare stomach, feeling his wife's wild hair tickling the back of his neck he tried to keep his eyes shut for just a moment's more sleep. He felt the soft breath of a giggle on the back of his neck and moved his hand to rest on Bella's own.

"What time is it?" Rodolphus murmured.

"Around half past six." Bella purred, kissing his shoulder gently.

"Then why are you awake?" Rodolphus asked, still refusing to bring himself to fully wake up.

"I haven't slept much." Bella sighed dramatically, pulling away from her husband as she turned to lay back in the bedsheets. She smirked as she heard the heavy sigh of her husband, the man turning to face her. She knew the poor bastard cared enough for her to get his attention if he thought something was wrong.

"Why?" Rodolphus furrowed his brow slightly, reaching out and brushing some of the curls from her face as he propped himself up on his elbow.

"I've been out," Bella said.

"Oh?" Rodolphus asked, frowning after a moment. "You went to bed the same time I did . . ."

"I got summoned." Bellatrix shrugged, looking to her husband, "The Dark Lord wanted to discuss things."

Rodolphus stared at her for a moment before with a grunt he lay flat back on the pillows, staring at the ceiling, "How nice for you."

From the tone of his voice, Bellatrix could tell he was not pleased and she couldn't help but find it pitiful, though a small part deep down inside of her felt sorry for him. She rolled her eyes and moved to snuggle into the man's side, resting her head on his chest as she brought his arm around her and stared innocently up at him. "Rodolphus, you know I—"

"Don't." Rodolphus hissed, though he didn't move his arm from his wife—if anything his embrace grew tighter, almost possessively so.

"Okay." Bellatrix said simply, ". . . You have to take Dora to the Ministry today."

Rodolphus curled his upper lip in distaste, "Parade a half-blood around the ministry openly claiming her as my niece?"

"You've done it before." Bellatrix hit his chest playfully, "She's been to a few balls now, it's not like this is her first time _out in the open_."

"She usually only bothers you." Rodolphus grunted, "I get to stand to the side whilst you two prance around together."

"We do not _prance around together_." Bellatrix laughed. "Besides, you get along well enough with her."

"In the privacy of my own home . . . I tolerate her." Rodolphus said.

Bellatrix shook her head, deciding not to bring up the fact that she was well aware that he and Nymphadora got along, more than Rodolphus did with his Pureblooded Nephew Draco in fact, or that she was sure he had a small soft spot for her. "Well," Bellatrix mused, "Dark Lord's orders . . ."

"I would never deny his orders, you know that." Rodolphus said warningly.

"I wouldn't accuse you of such a thing." Bellatrix grinned as she moved herself to instead lay on top of her husband, propping herself up slightly as he reached out to stroke her hair. "I would leave around eight if I were you, will be easier to have a look around before people start work."

"You act as if I don't spend half of my spare time at the place." Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, "I know what I'm doing."

"I trust you."

"Why thank you," Rodolphus said sarcastically.

"Just . . . Make sure Dora does well." Bellatrix said, "I mean, _of course_ , you can look after yourself, but keep an eye out for Dora."

Rodolphus watched the woman curiously for a moment, wondering to himself when his wife had come to care so much for a half-blood. He knew that if he were to ask her she would deny the extent that she cared for her, though he couldn't help but wonder. He had lost track of how long he had been thinking to himself, quietly stroking his wife's hair as he looked into her deep dark eyes when Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at him. He rarely bothered keeping her out of his thoughts on purpose, he neither knew nor cared if his wife had heard his thoughts (he knew she wouldn't say anything on the matter anyway). Bellatrix screeched in shock as the man decided to catch her off guard, twisting them both so that he managed to roll himself on top of her to smirk at her flushed features.

"Make it worth my while?" Rodolphus whispered, the slow smirk on his wife's features more than enough to permit him to go ahead as he leant down to press his lips firmly against her own.

* * *

Nymphadora frowned in the mirror, ensuring that her sleeves were pulled down as much as they could be (in truth they were halfway down her hands at this point) as she silently wondered how the entirety of her wardrobe had turned so . . . _posh,_ over the years. The woman decided to morph her hair a deep purple colour, to match her dark purple dress. She turned her head as she heard the footsteps of her Uncle walking towards her room, calling for him to enter when the subtle knock came at her door.

"I see your Aunt has already told you we're to go to the Ministry today?" Rodolphus asked, watching his niece as she nodded and took her small handbag from her bed.

"Yep," Dora nodded to the note on her bed, "woke up to that on my bedside table telling me—Not sure if she snuck in here when I was sleeping or got the elf to put it there."

"Neither would surprise me," Rodolphus said.

"And neither is less worrying than the other," The girl grinned at him, a nervous look about her. "So, ready to go?"

Rodolphus nodded slightly, looking the girl over before with a sigh he walked over to her. "You know," he said as he reached out to her arms, pulling her sleeves up ever so slightly so they stopped at her wrists as they should do, "you need to wear your clothes correctly."

"I—"

"Was nervous about walking into the Ministry with a Dark Mark?" Rodolphus smirked. "You look more suspicious if you're wearing your dress like a teenager—though no-one has reason to suspect you. Besides—" Rodolphus frowned slightly as he considered the girl "—would you not be able to cover it through morphing if you truly needed to?"

"I don't know." Dora frowned "I haven't tried. It doesn't really feel like a spot or a scar that I could just morph away."

"Maybe you should try," Rodolphus mused. "Though not right now. Come."

Nymphadora didn't hesitate to follow her Uncle, closing her bedroom door behind her and hurrying alongside him to the fireplace. She watched him leave first before quickly grabbing a small handful of the glistening green powder and stepping into the fireplace. She called out her destination, trying not to feel sick at the sensation of transporting by floo powder. She righted herself quickly as she reached her destination, looking to see Rodolphus patiently waiting for her. She could not help but notice that Rodolphus seemed—like most purebloods she knew—to change his demeanour entirely when faced with public appearance. In Rodolphus it was only subtle differences, his head was held a little higher, his features slightly harsher, though to her it was still noticeable.

Nymphadora had only been in the Ministry of Magic once or twice before, though the grand scale of the place never ceased to amaze her. From the witches and wizards hurrying along their daily business to the gleaming fountain of magical brethren, it was all rather impressive to the young witch. Though Rodolphus glided through the crowd as if he were the only one there, witches and wizards alike parted out of his way and Nymphadora had to keep close behind him just to avoid bumping into anyone herself. He only stopped when they reached the lift, pressing the button for level two "Department of Magical Law Enforcements" and waiting for the doors to clatter shut behind them both.

"You want me to work in _Magical Law_?" Dora asked under her breath, an incredulous look on her face, "Bit ironic, no?"

"You don't have to work there—you don't have to get a job at all. We're just looking," Rodolphus couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"Right." Dora nodded slightly as the lift halted, the gates opening as the disembodied voice reeled off the offices held on that floor. She followed him blindly, briefly glimpsing at the windows along the corridor, she knew they were far underground at this point and that they must have been magically displayed though could not help but appreciate the quality of them. She peered at the set of heavy oak doors around the corner from the lift.

"Auror office," Rodolphus said "no need to go near there."

"No . . ." Dora murmured "Where are we going then?"

"To see a friend," Rodolphus said simply.

"Who—" Dora went to ask, though her question was soon answered as a portly little man wearing a pinstriped cloak walked towards them.

"Ah, Rodolphus." Cornelius Fudge held out his hand to Rodolphus, shaking it firmly before looking at the purple haired witch with what Dora assumed was his attempt of a fatherly smile. "And this must be young Nymphadora? Thinking of joining the Ministry, eh?"

"Potentially." Dora nodded politely.

"Well I'm sure we can find a place at the Ministry for a young woman such as yourself," Cornelius said "Rodolphus has been telling me about how intelligent you are; Outstanding N.E. , fantastic duelist and a Metamorphmagus to boot. Have you ever considered applying to the Auror Office?"

Dora almost choked, grateful as her Uncle stepped in with a small laugh "Now now, Cornelius," Rodolphus said, "I don't think her Aunt would be too happy if she took up such a dangerous career path."

The witch had to bite her tongue not to outright laugh at the irony of that statement as the Minister nodded. "Of course," he said, "well I hate to leave you but I have been called away to a meeting—" he leant in slightly and lowered his voice "—we've been looking into Dumbledore and his cohorts, highly suspicious man I tell you. He's been removed as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot."

"Yes well I would expect as much," Rodolphus said, "what with the idiocy the man has been coming out with recently I am surprised he is still allowed such a position of power as Headmaster."

"Yes, well," a slow grin appeared on the Ministers face as he bounced on the balls of his feet "we shall see about that." He winked "I shall have to see you soon, dinner, perhaps?"

"We would be delighted," Rodolphus said, "I shall send an owl."

"Brilliant." Cornelius said, nodding as he began to walk away "It was lovely seeing you both, speak soon."

Nymphadora waited until the man had closed the lift doors behind himself and the clattering din of its movement had faded away until she looked at her Uncle. "Is that wise?" Dora whispered "Having the Minister at Lestrange Manor, given current circumstances?"

"Of course," Rodolphus said, "he has been over before, many times."

Nymphadora didn't question her Uncle further, following him around the Ministry obediently as he introduced her to various people he knew around the place. She was surprised at quite how many people greeted Rodolphus fondly, silently wondering what they would do if only they knew where his true loyalties lay. The woman was growing tired of playing the part of obedient, proper, polite niece by the time Rodolphus said his fairwells to the last of his acquaintances and made his way back to the lift.

"Are we going home now?" Nymphadora asked as the doors closed behind them.

"Not quite yet." Rodolphus pressed the button on the lift marked 'Department of Mysteries'.

"More people for me to meet?" Dora asked with a bored sigh.

"We will see." Rodolphus shrugged "I hope so."

"Then why—?" Dora closed her mouth as Rodolphus raised a hand to silence her, stepping out of the lift as it halted at their destination.

He walked with purpose, looking around once or twice to ensure that they were alone. It was only as they reached the end of a long corridor that Rodolphus stopped suddenly, causing Nymphadora to apologise as she collided straight into his back. It was then that she realised why they were here. She knew of The Dark Lord's plan, she knew there was a prophecy within this department that he needed. She had only spoken with Bellatrix about it the day before, discussing how they were supposed to get to it without raising suspicions. Did he seriously mean for them to attempt to get it now? To break into the Department of Mysteries in the middle of the day? It was a ridiculous idea, surely?

"Uncle—"

"Shh." Rodolphus hissed as he drew his wand. He stared at the door for a moment, muttering a spell under his breath before smirking to himself. In the next moment Nymphadora jumped back, drawing her own wand as without warning Rodolphus had summoned what must have been an invisibility cloak as a square-jawed man was revealed scrambling for his wand. Without thinking Nymphadora accio'ed it, grabbing it out of the air as Rodolphus strode forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. He looked around yet again before dragging the man a little further down the corridor and kicked open a door to throw him inside.

Nymphadora followed, slamming the door shut behind them before turning to see her Uncle throw down the man in the middle of the small empty courtroom.

"Dumbledore send you, did he?" Rodolphus sneered, though the man on the floor simply glared up at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said.

"Not one to talk?" Rodolphus asked "That's fine. Nymphadora? Come here."

"What?" Nymphadora asked as she walked over to her Uncle "You know if you were going to be grabbing people and throwing them into empty courtrooms to yell at them today you should have warned me—Though I can't help but appreciate the irony."

"It's good to be kept on your toes with these things," Rodolphus said "Besides, I didn't think we'd get as lucky to find some Order rat hiding out down here. Get the word that I had planned a visit to the Ministry, did you? Dumbledore always did have his suspicions."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sturgis Podmore narrowed his eyes at the pair of them.

"You sound like a broken record." Nymphadora rolled her eyes "You do know what we're talking about."

"Don't worry Nymphadora, we don't need him to talk." Rodolphus rolled his eyes "There's no need to talk for what I have planned."

"Oh?" Dora raised an eyebrow, the man was now glaring furiously at the pair.

"I believe it is time to put your skills into action, Dora." Rodolphus said plainly "Use the imperious, the next time this man is put on 'guard duty' for that department he will go in and get the prophecy for us."

"I won't!" Sturgis yelled, going to get to his feet before with a hiss of the curse he was yelling in pain as Rodolphus performed the Cruciatus—Nymphadora quickly cast a Silencio on him.

"Now," Rodolphus sighed as he lifted the curse "you are already going to have two of the unforgivable curses performed on you today—don't make it three. Go on, Dora."

Nymphadora took a deep breath, looking down at the form of the man still shaking from the after effects of Rod's curse on a crumpled heap on the floor. She lifted the silencing charm, clearing her mind for a moment before she spoke with purpose " _Imperio._ "

He struggled against it to start with, though she soon found that it was far easier to place the curse on Sturgis Podmore than it had been when practising on her Aunt and Uncle. She soon felt the man abide to her whim, standing from the floor as she willed it. He looked at her with a glazed over stare, his mouth dropped open slightly.

"Do you believe you have control?" Rodolphus asked.

Dora smirked, watching the man jump and hop on one foot as a small demonstration. "Yes."

"Good," Rodolphus smirked, going to speak again before the man let out a groan of anguish and fell to the floor.

"What happened?" Dora asked, frowning in confusion.

"You didn't have control," Rodolphus sighed, walking over to his niece "Let me do it—"

"No," Dora shook her head, raising her arm again "I can do it."

"If you're sure . . ." Rodolphus looked to the girl "this isn't child's play Nymphadora, we need to ensure this is done correctly."

Nymphadora nodded, taking a deep breath as she tried the curse again. A few moments later she looked to her Uncle, willing Podmore to do a few jumps on the spot in demonstration before she smirked. "I know that this isn't child's play, Uncle."

"Good," Rodolphus smirked.

They stayed in the room for a few more moments, wanting to make sure that the man was well and truly under her control until they instructed him to leave again, following themselves soon after. It was a fascinating feeling, Nymphadora thought, knowing that you had a person under your control so deeply that they would bend to your every whim should you so desire it. She could feel the connection to the man no matter how far she went, like a fine invisible string linking them together as if he were her puppet and she the puppeteer. It was a feeling she could get used to. She couldn't help but grin as Bellatrix greeted them at Lestrange Manor.

"Well?" Bellatrix kissed her husband in greeting, allowing him to place a hand on her hip as she looked briefly to her niece then back to him "How did it go?"

"Nymphadora did wonderfully," Rodolphus said plainly as his wife giggled in delight. Nymphadora couldn't help the small well of pride at such a compliment.

"Well done, Nymphadora." Bellatrix stepped away from her husband, giving her niece a brief embrace, stepping back to brush the now pink hair out of her face "Why don't you go and rest for a while before dinner? I have things to attend to with Rodolphus."

"Of course," Nymphadora nodded, squeezing her Aunt briefly before practically running up the stairs to her room. She stopped as she saw Barty Crouch Jr standing at the end of the corridor, almost smug in appearance as he slowly walked towards her.

"I take it you had a fun day out?" Barty mused.

"I suppose so," Nymphadora shrugged, unable to help her slight smirk.

"Good," Barty said, "At least one of us is making themselves useful, whereas I get the pleasure of being locked up in this place day and night."

"You're exaggerating," Nymphadora sighed, not paying much mind to the man as he followed her on her path to her bedroom "You only went out a little while ago, didn't Rodolphus take you to that muggle village?" Barty grunted in response "Honestly, you'd think this place was Azkaban the way you go on."

"Don't remind me of that hell hole," Barty wrinkled his nose at the mere thought of the place.

"Hmm," Nymphadora opened the door to her room, considering the man for a moment as he simply stared at her before she stood aside to let him go in before her "What do you want this time?" Nymphadora asked casually, taking her bag from her shoulder and slinging it onto the vacant armchair in the corner of the room.

"I didn't realise my visits were such an inconvenience to you," Barty said, walking closer to the witch until he stopped mere inches in front of her.

"It's fine," Dora murmured, starting to feel her heart beat in her chest yet again as he reached out and inspected one of her bright pink locks.

"I like this colour on you . . ." Barty mused, staring into her eyes as they looked at each other in silence.

Nymphadora didn't know what took over her in that moment. Perhaps it was the thrill of successfully using an illegal curse on a man in the middle of the Ministry? The deep need to take control of a situation and do what she wanted as her Aunt had always taught her? Or perhaps it was the mere idea that she knew her Aunt wouldn't approve that added that extra sense of being wrong that made it just that little more appealing. But before she knew it she had grabbed Barty by his collar, pulling him roughly towards herself as she crashed her lips into his own. He groaned against her lips as his hands found their way to the woman's hips, gripping onto her with a desperate need. They struggled against each other in their passion, moving backwards until Nymphadora fell back onto the bed bringing the man down with her as he buried his hands in her hair.

"Barty," Dora gasped as he moved to feather kisses on her neck, sighing deeply as he brought up his hand to her mouth though reality started to unfog her mind again "m-my Aunt—"

"Shh," Barty moaned, stopping momentarily and moving to look into the girl's lust filled eyes "this can be just between us. We deserve this release, this little secret."

Nymphadora's mind swam with thought, unable to decide on the best thing to do. Though as she stared into his eyes, one of his hands now back on her hip, she knew what she wanted. She drew her wand, the man looking slightly alarmed before she pointed it at the door. The room was locked and she ensured that no-one could hear them. Barty Crouch Jr smirked as Nymphadora hooked a leg around him to pull him closer, the pair getting lost in their passions.

Bellatrix didn't ask why Nymphadora looked so content over the dinner table later that evening, nor did she realise the smirk Barty kept on flashing at her niece from across the table. Though at that moment in time Bellatrix Lestrange finding out about what had happened under her own roof was the least of her worries, Nymphadora was content and she was sure she would continue to be so as long as Barty was around.


	29. Azkaban Prison

The day of Harry Potter's trial at the Ministry of Magic was not a pleasant one for Nymphadora Tonks. She was sat in the library, going over an old dark arts book. Barty had suggested it to her and she had had to pick up from the darkest corner of Knockturn Alley, so she was rather excited to read it. Though, it took her nearly half an hour to realise that she had been going over the same page again and again without focusing until she finally put the thing to rest on the side, rubbing her eyes as she let out a sigh of anguish.

Barty peered up from the corner, frowning slightly before he put down his own book and went over to rest on the arm of her chair.

"Bit too deep for you, Nymphie?" he asked.

"No," Nymphadora said firmly "I'm just . . . distracted."

"Thinking about the Potter boy?" Barty tilted his head and rested his arm on the back of her chair "You know, it doesn't matter either way if he goes to Hogwarts or not. If he goes, we have people to keep an eye on him so we know what he's doing. If he doesn't go we have to run around like idiots trying to get to him when he'll probably be hidden by old Dumbledore and beyond our reach."

"True . . ." Nymphadora bit her lip in thought for a moment, "But The Dark Lord didn't seem happy."

Barty nodded slightly, it was true and he couldn't deny that. The Dark Lord had arranged to meet with Lucius at Lestrange Manor a few hours ago and they had heard the yells, seen Lucius leave the manor without talking to anybody pale as a sheet. "Sometimes The Dark Lord isn't happy, but we didn't do anything to cause this—you yourself have been at the Ministry trying to help. So, don't dwell on this, we will soon please The Dark Lord again."

Dora sighed, leaning back in her chair as she closed her eyes. She had indeed been at the ministry trying to help. She had gotten a small part time job within the Department of Magical Education. It was only a small desk job, though what with Potter being at the school and Death Eaters already posted in the more obvious departments it made sense to her to do so (that and the fact that she did not think it wise to station herself within Magical Law when she could not get over the irony of that matter). Besides, what with the new appointment of the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor and the Ministry's increased involvement within the school, she was sure that she may be able to help in some way whilst being stationed within the Ministry. Nymphadora smiled slightly as she felt Barty play with her hair, picking at the arm of the chair as they sat in silence.

"What are you two doing?" Nymphadora snapped open her eyes and sat forward at the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman was stood in the doorway with her arms folded looking expectantly at the pair.

"Reading," Barty chirped, "That's what you do in a library, Bella."

"I got a new book," Dora said, standing up and holding the book out to her Aunt who hesitantly took the thing to look over it with an air of disinterest "Barty suggested it to me, so he was just showing me his favourite bits."

"Dora was worrying about Potter getting away at the hearing today," Barty said simply, hissing as Dora punched him in the arm "What? She can tell you're lying! You're pretty terrible at it in fact."

"She's not a terrible liar," Bellatrix said, smirking as she handed the book back to her red-faced niece "she just can't lie _to me_."

"Fine," Dora huffed, "So what if I was worrying? I'm fine now."

"Good," Bellatrix said "now come on, Narcissa invited us over for dinner tonight."

"Do I have to change?" Nymphadora groaned.

"No," Bellatrix shook her head, "it's only them. Now come."

Bellatrix watched the girl leave the room, telling her to meet her Uncle in the entrance hall. She waited until her niece was out of view and out of earshot before she looked to Barty Crouch Jr, the man having now slipped into the vacant chair and was leafing through Nymphadora's book.

He frowned after a moment, looking up to see the witch staring at him "What?" he asked almost defensively.

"You stay away from Nymphadora," Bellatrix spoke in a warning tone.

"Now, how is that possible?" Barty asked, straightening up in his seat "There's hardly a plethora of people to talk to in this Manor and that's forgetting the fact that we are both—"

"You know what I mean," Bellatrix hissed.

"Is there some hidden meaning?" Barty raised an eyebrow at the witch "Staying away from someone is pretty self-explanatory and something that I've already explained the difficulty of doing."

"Don't play dumb," Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the man "I've seen the way you look at her."

"Really?" Barty grinned, "Have you seen the way _she_ looks at _me_?"

"She is young and naïve to men like you," Bellatrix said, "she doesn't know any better."

"Men like me?" Barty gave a tone of mock offence, though after the woman's glare did not waver he let out a sigh a gained a more serious tone "I thought you didn't care about her?" he lowered his voice "I thought she was just your little pawn for The Dark Lord? Or are you trying to tell me that the great, stone-hearted Bellatrix Lestrange cares for her half-blood niece?"

". . . Don't test my patience," Bellatrix eventually hissed, turning and walking from the room and leaving the man to his own devices.

* * *

"He tried it!" Nymphadora exclaimed over her breakfast, causing her Uncle to knock over the orange juice that he was reaching for as the girl's sudden outburst startled him.

"What?" Bellatrix asked, looking to her niece who was now avidly reading The Daily Prophet, suppressing a smirk as her husband muttered under his breath as he drew his wand and cleaned up the mess he had created.

"Podmore," Dora muttered, though the initial surprise and excitement she had was now fading to be traded for a look of disappointment and almost fear. "Shit," She hissed, throwing the paper down on the table and resting her head in her hands as her Uncle picked it up and shook it out to read.

"Well," Bellatrix asked, "what does it say?"

 _"Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August_ . . ." Rodolphus couldn't help but smirk as he skimmed the rest of the article before handing it to his wife.

Bellatrix let out a cackle of laughter once she had read the article herself, " _refused to speak in his own defence . . . convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban_. Oh dear."

"Well that _is_ amusing," Rodolphus mused.

"Amusing?" Nymphadora looked at her uncle in shock " _Amusing?_ "

"Yes," Bellatrix agreed as she controlled her laughter, now skimming through the rest of the paper.

"But I failed!" Dora cried "He wasn't supposed to get _arrested_ , he was supposed to go in and _get the thing_ for us! I completely and utterly failed."

"No, you did not," Rodolphus said, his wife smirking at her niece in amusement as he couldn't help but do the same "Nymphadora, you just got a member of The Order of the Phoenix arrested and out of action for six months."

"And for whatever time it takes to recover from that hell hole," Bellatrix quipped, though Rodolphus seemed to ignore this comment.

"But—" Dora bit her lip, though she appeared slightly less distressed at the news than she initially had "he didn't do what I wanted though."

"Which is nothing to criticise your ability," Rodolphus shrugged "it is merely to say he was stupid enough to get caught."

"Won't The Dark Lord be displeased with me?" Dora asked hesitantly.

"No," Bellatrix scoffed, "you didn't expect Sturgis Podmore to succeed, did you?"

"Well . . ." Dora bit her lip, blushing slightly as she looked down at her toast.

"You didn't fail at all, Nymphadora," Rodolphus said "it would have been a miracle if Podmore succeeded, you've done nothing wrong. In fact, I believe The Dark Lord would be pleased purely at the thought of Dumbledore being without one of his sheep for so long."

"So . . ." Dora couldn't help but smile slightly "So I did well?"

"You did well," Bellatrix smirked. "Now finish up your breakfast and leave for work."

"Yes Ma'am," Dora said with a mock salute, now in a much better mood as she put the remainder of her toast in her mouth and going to give her Aunt a one-armed hug before she left the room.

* * *

It was nearing midnight and Nymphadora Tonks was currently drenched and freezing cold, she was now near enough frozen to the seat of her broom in the cold unforgiving winds of the North Sea. Her Death Eater robes offered little warmth, though she was almost grateful for her mask as it protected her face at least minimally from the rain. She looked at her sorroundings, barely able to see her comrades hovering in the distance. It was as a cackle of pure maniacal glee that let the witch know where her Aunt was, she watched her spell shoot towards the old stone building and braced herself the brick exploded and crashed into the depths below. Apparently, that was the signal they were going with tonight. She leant forward on her broom and zoomed right towards the explosion, skidding to a halt as she hit the floor. There were no Dementors to be seen, though the mad yells and cries for freedom of those within echoed the walls hauntingly.

She didn't wait for the others, hearing more explosions in the distance she knew that they would be entering the prison through various different points. As she pushed aside the broken metal bars of the empty cell they had torn to pieces, she took in her surroundings. She was north of the high-security wing, knowing that was where she would need to search she slid around the corner and pounded down the long hallway. She opened her bag as she ran, sliding her broom into its magically enhanced depths and cursing herself as she crashed her arm into the sharp corner of the wall. She was the first to reach the wing, the bars still fastened shut. Various yells came from within the dark depths, cries for freedom, cries of warning or perhaps fear of Dementors. She couldn't help but smirk; the Dementors were long gone. With a quickly fired curse, she blasted the doors to the wing off of its hinges.

"Lumos," Nymphadora whispered, raising her wand high and carefully proceeding down the hallway.

"Be quick about it!" Macnair hissed as he ran into the wing behind her, beginning to unlock the first of the cells they knew their captured comrades to be in.

She couldn't help but stare as she stepped back from the man. He dived into the cell, the sound of clattering chains indicating that he had ensured the full freedom of the prisoner within. A few more masked Death Eaters entered the room, but none that Dora recognised to be her Aunt and Uncle just yet, though she continued to stare as Macnair emerged. An almost skeletal looking man, with scraggly hair, a beard that was in dire need of a trim and tattered robes near to disintegration was clinging to him. She couldn't help but return the shadow of a smirk she noticed on the prisoner's face.

"Bella?" Nymphadora turned to the direction of the voice. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped forward to the cell, though she could not see within through the dark and the mess. She reached out her spare hand, quickly unlocking the door with her wand and then pushing it open. She could understand why a female Death Eater, masked with curled dark purple hair that must have seemed black in the light, would be mistaken for Bellatrix. She stepped further into the cell. What seemed to be a pile of ragged robes laid curled in the corner, the stench coming off of it was offensive though the voice called again. "Bella?"

"No," Dora whispered, ". . . but a friend."

She was answered by a violent cough and she quickly went over to the voice, directing her wand light before she finally recognised the man curled up in a heap in front her. Though he was, like the other man, almost skeletal in appearance now, covered in filth and clearly extremely weak, there was no mistaking the face now gazing up at her as that of Rabastan Lestrange.

"Let's get you out of here," Nymphadora murmured.

She quickly released him from his chains, throwing the rusting manacles to the side and untangling him before she went to lift him. She ignored the offensive smell, reaching out to the man and grabbing onto his dirt-caked hands to try and help him to his feet. It was no use though, he was so weak he yelled out at the strain of it all and collapsed straight to the ground again.

"Shit!" Nymphadora hissed as she grabbed his arm just in time to stop his head colliding with the wall behind him.

"Rab?" Bellatrix's voice whispered behind Nymphadora, making her jump slightly as she did not realise her sneaking up behind her. She looked up to her Aunt, there was a strange look in her eyes, one Nymphadora would have sworn was of hurt, remorse, shock even. Though as quickly as it had appeared it had passed and the elder witch became determined again, rushing forward to the other side of her brother-in-law. "Help me," Bellatrix instructed Dora, managing to get the man off of the floor with both of their help.

The man groaned weakly as the two witches pulled him out of his cell, the rest of the wing was nearly empty now as they watched one of their comrades leave. They walked carefully though quickly, as they knew—even without Dementors to guard the prison—it would not be long until the Ministry caught wind of what had happened here tonight. It was potentially the slowest ten minutes of Nymphadora's life before they managed to get to the boat ready to take the escaped prisoners to shore. Rodolphus Lestrange was seeing the second to last boat away, Dora watching as Barty went off into the distance with the rest before Rodolphus finally turned to see them.

He froze. Staring at the two witches, his young brother once so full of life now crumpled between them barely alive. Nymphadora's knees started to buckle under the weight of the man after they had stood stationary for too long.

"Come on," Bellatrix said firmly, motioning for Nymphadora to help her forward with Rabastan.

To Nymphadora's surprise Rodolphus did not move forward to help them, still stood motionless on the spot as she clambered into the boat and pulled Rabastan in behind her. She couldn't get him to sit up at first, eventually sighing as she had to squeeze into the space beside him and pull him up to rest into her side. He coughed violently as she looked up at her Aunt and Uncle. Bellatrix walked over to her husband, gently taking his hand and leaning into him though he never took his eyes off of his brother. Nymphadora couldn't hear what Bellatrix was saying as she spoke into his ear. He nodded slightly before pulling his eyes away from the pair and turning to get into the boat. Bellatrix quickly turned back to the prisoner, unable to help the laugh of delight as she drew her wand and pointed it skyward.

"Morsmordre!" She screeched, jumping in delight as the dark mark filled the sky above them before she skipped into the boat and with a quick spell they went skimming along the water on their way to the shore.

Nymphadora became very aware of her Uncle's stares, the man's dark eyes trained on his brother intensely. It was rather disconcerting given his current masked appearance, eventually, she had to look away. Her Aunt was fine, gripping onto the boat with one hand as she kept the other on her husband's knee, her triumphant smirk visible underneath her mask. She tried not to pay too much attention to the man currently shivering and leaning into her shoulder, instead focusing on the quick escape they knew they had to make once they reached shore. To her surprise the moment the boat thumped into solid ground Rodolphus was the first to get up, striding the two steps over to his niece without a word and lifting the man from her with ease. He lifted him off of his feet, stepping out of the boat and onto solid ground and without so much as a glance to the two witches to determine if they were okay, he disapparated.

"Is he okay?" Nymphadora asked as she followed her Aunt out of the boat, turning back towards the distant silhouette of Azkaban for a moment to glance at the mark still shining brightly in the sky.

"He'll be fine," Bellatrix said simply, she too glanced back to the mark before turning back to her niece "Race you home!"

"I—" Nymphadora rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smirk, as her Aunt disapparated without warning. "Typical," she muttered turning on the spot and following her back to Lestrange Manor.


	30. Nightmare

Bellatrix waited for her niece to appear in the entrance hall of Lestrange Manor, unable to help the smirk now seemingly permanently stuck to her features. She nodded at the girl as she arrived and turned to find her husband. She hadn't been sure how the man was going to react to seeing his younger brother again after so many years, she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that the mere state of Rabastan's condition had put Rodolphus in a state of shock. She made her way to the back of the top floor of the manor, stopping at a portrait of a long forgotten grey haired Lestrange wizard and hissing the password "Nightmare". The floor length portrait swung open unquestionably and let her through to the hidden wing of Lestrange Manor.

It looked just like any other part of the home, though she knew better than anyone the secrets it held. For example, amongst the dark artefacts Bellatrix and Rodolphus needed stored away should prying eyes come looking, the wing now housed not one, but two escaped Azkaban convicts. As she reached the end of the corridor she noted Barty stood outside his own bedroom, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed as he stared at the door opposite.

"They're in there . . ." Barty murmured, "he's not in a good way."

"I saw," Bellatrix commented, pausing for a moment to meet the man's gaze, "everybody else got out without fail?"

"Yes," Barty said.

"Good. Go report to The Dark Lord," Bellatrix said dismissively.

"No need, Malfoy already volunteered to go and steal our glory all for himself."

"The Dark Lord knows better than to think Malfoy achieved this single-handedly," Bellatrix wrinkled her nose at the mention of her brother-in-law, the man did infuriate her at times, " _still_ , go."

"But—"

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes and hissed at the man, "I don't care where you go, Crouch, just get out of here."

Barty put his hands up defensively as with a huff of annoyance he backed away from the witch. She waited until she had seen the man leave the wing before she took a deep breath and knocked on the door she knew Rabastan and Rodolphus to be in.

"Go away," the hiss of Rodolphus came from the room. Though Bellatrix merely rolled her eyes, taking hold of the handle and pushing the door open regardless. "I said—" Bellatrix turned to raise an eyebrow at the man as she closed the door. He was sat in an armchair in the corner of the room, gripping onto the arms of the chair for a moment before he sighed and slumped back into the seat, he barely looked at his wife for a moment before he returned to stare intently at his brother. "I thought—"

"I sent Barty out of the wing," Bellatrix said. She looked over to her brother-in-law, though he already looked to be in a better state than he had been when they left (though that may have purely been due to the fact Rodolphus had changed him out of his tattered prison garb), he still looked so weak and small nestled in the bed. "How is he?" Bellatrix asked, walking over to her husband and slipping onto his lap.

Rodolphus moved his arm to loosely embrace his wife, letting his hand rest on her hip as she leant into him. "Weak," Rodolphus swallowed, "I made him drink a nourishing potion and then put him under a sleeping charm to rest . . . he was barely concious anyway."

"Well," Bellatrix mused, reaching her hand up to play with the loose thread of the Death Eater's robes that Rodolphus was still wearing, "I'm sure he will make a full recovery."

"It shouldn't have gotten to this point," Rodolphus spoke quietly after a short while, "I should have been the one to go to Azkaban, not him. He was so young—"

" _None of us_ should have had to go to Azkaban," Bellatrix corrected, she reached up and put her hand to her husband's cheek, moving him to reluctantly look at her, "this isn't your fault. We've had this conversation before, Rod. It wasn't your fault—It wasn't either of our fault—and if you try and tell me otherwise you can explain why you've been lying to me for the past fourteen years because that's what you've always told me." Bella smiled slightly as Rodolphus let out a huff, though he wrapped his arms further around his wife as she melted into her and wrapped her arms around his neck, "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"

"Yes," Rodolphus said after a moment, "he'll be fine in a few days."

"Well then there you are," Bellatrix said, "now I believe we should leave him to get his rest and go and revel in the fact that we just successfully aided a mass breakout of Azkaban. Just think of the poor ministry right now, they're probably running around like frantic little mice."

Rodolphus couldn't help but chuckle slightly before he nodded in agreement, he lifted his wife from his lap and with one last look at his brother he left the room.

* * *

It was nearly a week since the Azkaban breakout and Nymphadora was sat in the day room, her feet pulled up onto her seat and her elbows on the small table as she furrowed her brow in concentration.

"Come on, Nymphie," Barty sighed, sitting back in his own seat, "you've been staring at the board for at least five minutes, admit defeat."

"Never," Dora said, smirking after a moment and instructing her knight forward, "check."

Barty rolled his eyes, not even looking at the board as he made an instruction to his pieces, " _Checkmate_."

"Cheat!" Dora cried in annoyance.

"How am I a cheat?" Barty laughed.

"You mean how are you a cheat, _this time_?" Dora rolled her eyes.

"I did not—"

"What are you two doing?" a voice interrupted them, causing Nymphadora to bite her lip and Barty to turn around with a grin.

Rabastan Lestrange looked far better than he had when he first arrived, almost handsome in fact. He was dressed just as smartly as Rodolphus always had, prim and proper with his hair now cut to an appropriate, though long, length and clean shaven. His arms were crossed and he was currently leaning against the doorway as he cocked his head slightly, staring down at his brother's niece with a glint of curiosity in his dark eyes.

"Well, according to Nymphadora, I'm cheating at chess," Barty said, "but really I'm just beating her spectacularly and she's being a sore loser."

"Sounds enthralling." Rabastan droned, not moving from his spot as he raised an eyebrow at Nymphadora, "You're the one that pulled me from my cell, aren't you?"

"Yes," Dora said after a moment, "you thought I was Aunt Bella."

" _Aunt Bella_?" Rabastan shook his head, "I thought Rodolphus was joking, you know."

"What?" Dora sat up, taking a defensive tone as she looked at the man.

"You're Andromeda's daughter, aren't you?" Rabastan asked, smirking as Nymphadora narrowed her eyes at him.

"Technically," she said.

"Technically?" Rabastan asked.

"I—" Nymphadora looked to Barty for a moment, the man now watching the pair talk with an air of curiosity, "She disowned me when I was sixteen, I've lived here since then."

" _She_ disowned _you_?" Rabastan laughed.

"The feeling was mutual," Dora hissed, not liking the tone of the man.

"Merlin," Rabastan shook his head in disbelief, walking towards the liquor cabinet.

"What?" Dora snapped, standing up and ignoring the sigh from Barty behind her, she knew her hair was tinging red.

"It's just funny," Rabastan shrugged, pouring himself a small glass of fire whiskey, "Andromeda Black runs away from home to be with a mudblood, get away from her 'big bad family', and then you turn out like this; a Death Eater half-blood."

"Nymphadora isn't just a half-blood, Rab." To her surprise it was Barty that spoke up this time.

"Yes, I know she's a Metamorphmagus," Rabastan rolled his eyes, "that doesn't necessarily mean she's a good Death Eater."

"Don't make me regret taking you out of that cell, Lestrange." Dora near enough growled.

"Easily offended?" Rabastan chuckled.

"I wouldn't piss her off, Rab," Barty smirked, "she can be just as bad as Bellatrix when she wants to be."

"Oh really?" Rabastan looked intrigued, "Now that is something I would like to see."

"Well then, let's go see it," Barty smirked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nymphadora asked.

"Well," Barty shrugged, mischief glinting behind his eyes, "The Dark Lord said we could cause a little havoc if we wanted to, _send a message_."

"I'm listening," Rabastan smirked, downing his glass of fire whiskey and putting it down on the side.

"I say we go and do just that," Barty said.

"Let's." Rabastan gave a devilish grin.

"Wait," Dora shook her head, "you've been out of Azkaban less than a week, this isn't a good idea."

"Someone scared?" Rabastan teased, "I mean, if you don't think you can keep up with the two of us feel free to stay at home playing board games, Nymphadora."

She glared at him, annoyance and frustration rising inside of her until she let out a yell of frustration and went to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Barty asked over Rabastan's laughter.

"Meet me out back in ten minutes!" Nymphadora yelled behind her, running off to get her mask and robes.

Twenty minutes later Nymphadora, Rabastan and Barty were stood on the outskirts of a small muggle village, covered by darkness as the boys buzzed with excitement. Nymphadora couldn't help but find it rather contagious.

"So," Dora asked, "how do you think the muggles are going to explain this one away when we blow the place to pieces?"

"A 'gas leak' is usually their excuse of choice," Rabastan laughed.

"Who cares," Barty smirked, "we'll have our fun either way."

"Where even are we?" Rabastan asked.

"Yorkshire." Barty said, "there may or may not be an Order member living somewhere around here."

"What?" Dora's eyes widened as she looked to Barty.

"Aww, is Nymphadora scared of one little Order member?" Rabastan said mockingly.

"No." Nymphadora hissed before a smirk fell on her features, "I'll race you. First one to find one of Dumbledore's band of idiots wins."

"Deal." Barty grinned, laughing as Nymphadora had already begun to run ahead of him.

She didn't take much care as to where she was firing spells, sending the nearest little cottage into a storm of flames, cackling with laughter as she heard the screams of the muggles within. The boys were soon copying, destroying pretty much anything they could see and cutting down the odd muggle that dared run through their sight down as easily as if they were crushing a bug beneath their boots. Nymphadora continued, hitting each cottage individually until she found what she was looking for; a particularly run down looking cottage at the end of the road. There was nothing in particularly special about this specific building to the naked eye, though as she fired her curse and watched it rebound on an invisible force surrounding the property she knew that it had to be where the Order member lived.

"I win!" Dora yelled out to the boys with a grin on her face, giggling to herself as she watched the front door open.

A man she vaguely recognised opened the door, shabby in appearance though already holding his wand firmly in his hand as if he was more than ready and a force to be reckoned with. She snickered at the thought, he wouldn't be able to defeat her. To her surprise, the first spell he muttered did not come hurling towards her as she expected. Instead, she watched as he cast a Patronus charm, saying something inaudible to it before it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Not coming to play?" Nymphadora called out, "Come on." She pouted, giggling as the man strode forward.

She backed away, waiting for the man to inevitably step out of the wards of his home before quickly firing a curse at him. He was quick on his feet for such a downtrodden looking wizard, parrying her spells away as quickly as she could cast them. She ducked as he fired back at her, hitting him back twice as hard in return. It wasn't long until they were dancing around the middle of the road, passing spells back and forth in a lethal fashion. She was determined to bring him down. Perhaps she could bring him in and question him for the Order's secrets? Perhaps she could kill him and take the glory of casting down one of Dumbledore's idiots. She could hear the boys still firing curses at fleeing muggles behind her, either uncaring or unaware that she was in the middle of a heated duel. It was at that moment however, that she realised that they were about to become far too pre-occupied to care for her as the sounds of apparation went off around her. She pressed forward on her opponent, determination lighting a fire behind her eyes as she knew she had to get rid of her duelling partner so that she could properly focus on her surroundings. She quickly sent spell after spell at the man, determination in her young features met by the same look from his scarred old face. She ducked as he flung a spell straight at her chest, quickly taking advantage of her position and firing a spell right as his feet. She let out a yell of triumph as she watched him go skidding across the floor, falling back to slump over his own garden wall. She was just about to raise her head again when she heard a yell of "Watch out!" and a spell went flying over her head.

Barty came running up beside her, throwing spells at her assailant, Rabastan not far off joining them. She turned to see the man she recognised as Mad-Eye Moody now locked in a furious duel with Rabastan Lestrange as he took up his spells with pleasure ready to fight him as best he could. She was almost caught off guard as another man rushed forward to duel them. Kingsley Shacklebolt aimed directly at her, Barty deflecting the spell for her with ease.

"I can look after myself!" Nymphadora shrieked, though soon they were both duelling the man at the same time.

He seemed to be more skilled than the first man she had duelled, though not by much. They got locked in the furious dance of duelling, each spell uttered by the young witch unspeakable, though none managed to get through to him. She yelled in pain however as she felt a curse hit her side, causing her to her now fiery red-haired head to see that they were quickly becoming seriously outnumbered.

"We need to retreat!" Barty hissed beside her.

"No," Nymphadora growled, duelling her newest prey with such ferocity she had never had before. She cackled as a red-haired man fell to the floor. It was that moment of pure joy that was her downfall. Before she could even focus on the next duelling partner her eyes widened in the split second that she realised she was too late, a jet of hot blue light had come crashing straight into her from behind. She crumpled into a heap on the floor, the world seeming to stop around her.

Barty looked down to see Nymphadora fall, there were three slashes straight across the back of her robes showing the hot flowing deep red blood shimmering in the lamplight. "Rab!" Barty yelled, determined to get his comrades attention as he moved towards the witch whilst still deflecting spells. She wasn't moving, his breath caught in his throat before all of a sudden, he heard a yell of agony coming from the floor, her hand was still tightly gripped on her wand. "Move!" he yelled at her, though her whole body simply shuddered for a moment before resting again on the hard floor.

He knew what he had to do. "Retreat!" Barty yelled out, putting a shield up to defend both himself and Nymphadora from the next lot of spells. He could see the pale white face of the Order member that he had known to be the one to put Nymphadora in such a position, clearly the man had not meant to hurt her to that extent. It didn't matter. Without thinking he let out a guttural yell, using all of his power and determination he threw an almighty curse at the red-haired man, he barely let himself smirk as he went crashing into the building behind him. He felt Rabastan come up to his side, shielding himself from another curse.

"Retreat?!" Rabastan questioned, "we can—"

"NOW!" Barty cried in outrage, shielding yet more spells as he leant down and grabbed Nymphadora's wrist, a small sense of relief passing through him as he could now hear her still moaning in pain. Moaning in pain was better than the silence of death. Still, he waited for Rabastan's grunt of approval before with one push of a curse to throw off their opponents he concentrated with all of his will and disapparated with Nymphadora Tonks.

Nymphadora's breath was shallow, though she soon let out an almighty scream that pierced through as the pressure of apparation felt like her already burning wounds were about to explode. She gripped tightly onto Barty, screwing her eyes shut as she tried to think how to stop it, though her thoughts were blurred through the pain and she was unable to focus. She could feel Barty pounding up the drive to the manor, each step like a knife was being plunged ever deeper into her back.

"Get Rodolphus!" Barty yelled at Rabastan, his voice vibrating through Nymphadora as her head was pressed against his chest.

She squinted as the bright lights of the manor blinded her, screwing her eyes shut. Even as Barty continued to run through the hall and up the stairs towards her bedroom she could hear Bellatrix's heels clicking on the floor as she ran towards them.

"What have you done?!" Bellatrix yelled, her voice full of fury mixed with an undeniable tone of worry as she took in the scene before her.

Barty didn't stop, ignoring the witches glare as he sped past her leaving her to quickly follow behind. He kicked open the door to Dora's bedroom, swearing under his breath and rushing his apologies when Nymphadora yelled out in pain again as he managed to collide her legs into the door frame.

"What have you done?" Bellatrix repeated through gritted teeth as she watched the man lay her niece on top of her bed, he was covered in blood, it only took her a split second to realise that it was not his blood but her blood.

"Help me get her robes off!" Barty growled, "We need to get to the wound, it's on her fucking back."

Bellatrix held back a yell of frustration as she rushed forward, climbing onto the bed next to her niece and drawing her wand. "Get out of my way!" Bellatrix hissed, hexing the man's hand as he reached out for the young witch. She leant over her niece, she was shivering in pain, taking weak and shallow gasps for breath. Bellatrix took a moment to compose herself, her face hardening to a determined mask as she quickly slashed her wand down the witches torso slicing her corset in two and then quickly vanishing her cloak from her body. She took a moment to shoot a glare at Barty, the man now stood against the wall staring wide-eyed at the pair as he tried to calm himself, then quickly pulled her corset away in a swift motion. She ignored the girls scream of agony, extremely aware that the bedsheets were soon turning a blood red as she inspected her front to ensure she was unharmed from that area, grabbing her destroyed corset and putting it to her chest to cover her modesty.

"Nymphadora?" Bellatrix called as she leant forward to her niece's face, putting a hand on her cheek to turn her face to her own, "Nymphadora, talk to me."

"I—" Nymphadora coughed and spluttered, tears now streaming down her porcelain cheeks as she forced her eyes open to look at her Aunt. "I—I'm okay, I—I'll be okay."

It was at that moment that Rodolphus strode into the room, walking straight over to the bed and throwing down a bag of potions, bandages and the likes before he knelt up onto the other side of the bed. "Where is it?"

Bellatrix looked at her niece for a moment before with a sigh she whispered, "I'm sorry Dora."

"I—Ah!" Nymphadora screeched in agony as Bellatrix grabbed firmly onto her shoulder and pulled her onto her left side so that her back was facing her husband.

"Shit." Rodolphus murmured, "What was it?"

"Ask him," Bellatrix growled as she looked to Barty Crouch before she softened her gaze to look back to her niece, "Come on Dora," she winced as the girl cried out in pain again as she rolled her onto her front as gently as possible, letting the girl cry into the pillows.

"It was the Order, they hit her from behind," Barty near enough whispered, "I didn't see the spell."

"What on earth were you three doing out getting into trouble with the Order?" it was Rod's turn to yell as he turned his glare to Barty, "After we just broke Rabastan out of Azkaban, without a word of warning to us! You're lucky you—"

"Rodolphus!" Bellatrix yelled, causing her husband to turn back to her as she gestured towards the crying witch between them, " _Fix it now_ ," she hissed through gritted teeth, clasping her hand over Nymphadora's clenched fist, "yell at them later."

Rodolphus stared at his wife for a moment before with a small nod he leant over the witch, running his wand over the witches back as he attempted to stop the blood flow. "She's lost too much, Bellatrix keep her awake."

"Get out, Barty," Bellatrix hissed.

"I—"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Bellatrix screamed, the man froze for a moment before with his own yell of frustration he stormed from the room.

Nymphadora had stopped crying, she could feel herself growing weaker, the dark comfort of the pillows pressing into her face so welcoming and willing for her to just let herself slip deeper and deeper into the dark until she didn't feel the pain anymore. It was at this moment that she felt the long fingers belonging to her Aunt come under her and grab her chin, she let out a weak moan as she kept her eyes closed.

"Dora, look at me," Bellatrix's voice sounded distant, too distant in fact, she was sure she could ignore it. That was until a sharp sting came to her cheek and she forced herself to open her eyes. Bellatrix was caressing the spot she had just slapped, Dora didn't see the point, the pain of her cheek was nothing compared to the intense agony still coursing through her entire form right now. Her Aunt shifted herself on the bed, using the space beside her to lay down so her face was mere inches from her own. "talk to me."

It was a simple command, but one that at this current moment in time Nymphadora found intensely difficult, "S-Sorry."

"So you should be," Bellatrix said, though the anger and frustration were now gone from her voice, she let out a huff of relieved laughter, "what were you thinking?"

"Th-The boys . . ." Nymphadora mumbled, hissing as she felt Rodolphus working to heal her back.

"What?" Bellatrix spoke softly, pushing the girl's sweat-drenched hair from her face.

"Rabastan was annoying me . . ." Dora strained to speak but her Aunt gestured for her to carry on, "he-he questioned my capa—he said I—he implied I was shit."

"So you thought you'd prove him wrong with a little outing?" Bellatrix asked, continuing to stroke the girl's hair.

"N-No," Dora coughed, hissing in pain again.

"Stay still," Rodolphus warned.

"Work faster," Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her husband, ignoring his returned glare as she looked back to her niece. "What do you mean, _no_?"

"B-Barty suggested we go out, s-said The Dark Lord said we could g-go 'cause a little havoc'. I-I didn't think it was a good idea, but Rab—" she gritted her teeth in pain, reaching out her hand and gripping tightly onto Bellatrix's robes as another wave of pain stabbed through her. "O-Order tried to kill me . . . The _fucking Order_."

"They usually just try to capture people," Rodolphus mumbled as he pulled a solution out of his bag and began dabbing it onto a cloth.

"You must have proven a threat," Bellatrix smirked, "I—Dora?"

Nymphadora had closed her eyes, screwing up her features. Bellatrix watched as her hair faded out from the red it had settled on to streak with white, red, mousey brown, black . . .

"What are you doing?!" Bellatrix demanded of her husband as she sat up to glare at him.

"Hold her still." Rodolphus growled, "It's too deep, Bellatrix."

" _Save her_." Bellatrix hissed.

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Rodolphus retorted, pressing a cloth to the girls back though he stared at her hair, "Why is that happening?"

"I-I don't know, she's in pain, she can't control it." Bellatrix shook her head, though she couldn't deny the sight of the witch was extremely worrying.

"Aunt Bella!" Nymphadora screeched in pain again, pulling at the handful of robes she still had a hold of.

"Nymphadora," Bellatrix swooped back to the witch, taking her face in her hands as she tried to get her to open her eyes and look at her, "Nymphadora listen to me! Nymphadora, listen, you need to wake up, come on, Dora, wake up . . ."

The strained worried voice of Bellatrix Lestrange was the last thing that Nymphadora Tonks heard before she finally succumbed to pain, slipping into the darkness of her unconscious mind.


	31. Family

Rabastan had decided not to return to Nymphadora, so after he had ensured that Rodolphus was going to tend to her he had returned to his bedroom. It had been hours now and he was yet to hear Barty return to their wing of the manor, though it didn't concern him, he still had the adrenaline high of the night's events coursing through his veins as he laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. He barely looked towards the door of his room as he heard someone entering the wing, returning to his thoughts as he played the night's events over in his mind. It had been exhilarating, cutting down muggles, causing pure havoc in the small village, the duelling, even Nymphadora getting injured. Rabastan rolled his eyes as he heard the knock at his door, annoyed to be disturbed from his reminiscing. Nonetheless, he called out for the intruder of his thoughts to enter.

He sat up as he saw his elder brother enter the room, cocking his head to the side curiously, "Hello,"

"Bellatrix sent me," Rodolphus said, avoiding making eye contact with the younger man as he closed the door behind him "she wants me to reprimand you for—well, you can imagine the insults she threw."

"I can," Rabastan said, sitting up on his bed, "not too pleased with our little outing, was she?"

"You can hardly blame her," Rod's look hardened for a moment, "you could have been hurt, arrested, _killed_ even."

"Just the day to day risks then?" Rabastan said, smirking as he saw the flicker of a reluctant smirk on his face, "She would have found it amusing if Nymphadora didn't go and get herself hurt."

"Perhaps," Rodolphus said, "that doesn't make it better though."

"She cares about the half-blood, doesn't she?" Rabastan asked curiously.

Rodolphus flinched slightly, going over to the chair in the corner of the room and taking a seat before he nodded slightly, "Between you and I? Yes, possibly more than even she realises. I think it might be something to do with the slight part of her that misses Andromeda—besides she's known the girl since she was nine. She didn't intend to care for her to start with, she was just a little project to turn into a useful tool for The Dark Lord's return, but she can't deny that she cares for her now. I've seen the way she looks after her, the way she treats her . . . Though I wouldn't go accusing Bellatrix of such a thing yourself, she'll deny it and you'll probably end up cursed."

Rabastan let out a huff of laughter. Rodolphus looked up at his brother, their matching dark eyes meeting as a shadow of a smile fell onto the older man's features. It didn't last long until Rodolphus looked away again, an awkward silence hanging in the air. It was Rabastan who decided to finally break the silence, moving to sit on the edge of his bed, "Come on, Rod. You didn't come here to talk to me about Nymphadora or 'tell me off' for Bellatrix . . . You've been avoiding talking to me properly since I got back."

"I—" Rodolphus went to deny the fact, though with one knowing look from his brother he knew it was useless. He sighed deeply, staring at his shoes as if they held the answer to all of his worries. It took him a little while to speak again, though Rabastan patiently waited, "I'm sorry . . ."

"What for?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow.

"It's my fault you—"

"Ended up spending fourteen years in the holiday camp otherwise known as Azkaban Prison?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes as Rodolphus gave a quick nod, "No, it's not."

"It is." Rodolphus hissed, clenching his fists in his lap, "I took Bellatrix and left you two to fend for yourselves, I should have stayed and protected you."

"Rod," Rabastan laughed, "you did the right thing, if we didn't split up I daresay we all would have been arrested."

"No, I could have tried—"

"No, you couldn't have," Rabastan rolled his eyes, leaning forward to look at his brother more carefully, "you want to know why we got arrested? Hmm?" Rabastan waited for his brother to grunt in acknowledgement of him before he carried on, " _I_ got stupid. I did exactly what you taught me never to do and took my eyes off my opponent for a moment because I thought I could take on another Auror that hadn't even reached us yet. The minute I looked away it turned out the person I was duelling wasn't actually hurt and slammed me to the ground with a spell. I yelled out, Barty got distracted and after that, we were fucked."

"I should have trained you better," Rodolphus shook his head, "made sure that—"

"Will you stop!" Rabastan groaned, "Why are you so insistent on taking the blame for this?"

"Because it's my fault!" Rodolphus yelled, suddenly getting up from his chair, " _I_ told Bellatrix you would be okay, _I_ forced her out of the battle, _I_ left before I knew you were safe! You were our responsibility, Bellatrix and I trained the both of you, were supposed to look out for you—that was _his orders_. But in that moment _I_ misjudged the whole thing and you and Barty suffered for it!"

"And you want me to be angry at you for that?" Rabastan asked, still surprisingly calm still sat on the edge of his bed. "You want me to get mad? To hate you? To curse you? To blame you for a simple mistake?"

"Yes!" Rodolphus snapped, stopping suddenly as if he had hit a brick wall, his shoulders rapidly rising and falling as he failed to calm his breathing.

"Fine," Rabastan murmured almost lazily. He looked at his brother, taking out his wand and pointing it at him with purpose, " _Crucio_."

Rodolphus let out a guttural yell, dropping to his knees and falling forward, throwing his hands out just in time to break his fall. The curse lasted a matter of seconds before it was lifted again. The silence hung heavy in the room, the aftershock of the curse still vibrating through his very bones as footsteps sounded beside him. Rabastan sat down on the floor, leaning back against the bed as he cocked his head to the side, a serious expression on his features.

"Better?" Rab asked.

"You enjoyed that . . ." Rodolphus let out a breath of air before letting himself fall to his side and pulling himself to sit up against the bed next to his brother.

"Well, it's hard not to enjoy that curse, ask Bellatrix," Rabastan joked, "Though I didn't enjoy it that much . . . There is one thing that I want to ask you, about the whole 'Azkaban incident'—breaking me out I mean." Rodolphus turned his head to his brother, meeting his eyes as Rab gave him a shadow of a mischievous grin, "What took you so long?"

Rodolphus couldn't help but let out a laugh along with his brother.

* * *

Bellatrix was slumped over Nymphadora's bed, a chair pulled right up to its side as she rested her head in her arms, watching the girl intently. But she had begun to grow tired, her eyes threatening to close more and more the longer she looked at her niece's pale face. It was early morning now, the sunlight had already begun to crawl across the floor of the Metamorphmagus' room but Bellatrix couldn't sleep. She couldn't risk drifting off and then Nymphadora waking up needing her. Even after Nymphadora had originally fallen unconscious it had taken a further hour to finish healing her wounds as best as they could and without being able to simply wake the girl up and question her Bellatrix wasn't sure of the true extent of Dora's wounds. She was merely grateful that the girl's hair had settled on a white-streaked mousey brown, two colours had to be better than the multiple it had shot to and stayed as for hours. Bellatrix didn't even flinch as a small knock on the door came, letting out a small hum of acknowledgement before it slowly creaked open. It was only as the man was stood next to her that she realised who had entered the room. She forced herself to sit up, mentally slapping herself awake as she looked to Barty Crouch Jr with mild distaste.

"How is she?" Barty spoke quietly.

Bellatrix stared at the man for a moment before she looked back to her niece, "Rodolphus thinks she was hit with two curses at once. It was probably too quick for you to notice, or it may have been a lingering spell that she was hit with and then that one mixed badly with the one that cut her open, I don't know. But either way, the spell that cut her open shouldn't have done as much damage as it did. The second was probably some sort of freezing curse or something of the likes, it's doubtful an Order member actually attempted to cut her open . . . Whatever it was it didn't agree with her . . ."

"But she'll be okay?" Barty asked, trying to hide the nerves from his voice though from the look Bellatrix gave him he guessed that it wasn't so well hidden.

"She's lucky to be alive," Bellatrix muttered, "if I wasn't so tired and unwilling to disturb her I would curse you where you stand."

Barty merely nodded, watching the witch stand from her seat and attempt to look menacing. He had to admit it would have worked on most people, but he could only roll his eyes as he watched her eyes droop with tiredness. "Go to sleep, Bellatrix."

"I have to stay with her," Bellatrix shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest, "she can't be left alone and I don't trust the stupid elf to come and fetch me if she needs help."

"So, let me stay," Barty shrugged.

" _You_?" Bellatrix barely laughed.

"Yes, _me_ ," Barty rolled his eyes, "I don't see any other volunteers and if you stay here you're only going to fall asleep on her and be no help at all. I'll send for you if she needs help."

Bellatrix considered the man for a moment before she snatched her wand from the bedside table and stuffed it into her pocket, she went to leave the room, stopping at the door to call back at the man, "Barty?" she waited for him to turn to her, giving him a judging, almost threatening look, "Don't think I didn't notice that you knew where her room was . . . _behave_."

Barty couldn't help but sigh a breath of relief as Bellatrix closed the door behind herself. He stared down at the weak mess of the witch in front of him, now laid on her back with her upper torso wrapped tightly in bandages, her features pale and breaths deep. He noted, as he looked at the pile of ruined bloodstained and tattered clothes in the corner, that she at least looked better than she had done when he first ran her into the manor. He stifled a yawn as he slipped into Bellatrix's recently vacated seat, he hadn't slept himself, though when Bellatrix had originally screamed at him to leave the room he had to admit it was one of the times he had seen her at her most furious. He couldn't keep himself away any longer though, it was his fault for suggesting that they had ventured out that night and if Nymphadora died it would be he who was to blame. Besides, he had grown rather fond of the young witch, he had to admit to himself that he would not have liked her to die.

It was mid-day when Nymphadora let out a small groan, her hand reaching out to grip slightly onto the bedsheets. Her mind was clouded, her body numb (a fact of which she was almost grateful), all she could remember was intense, excruciating pain before she had passed out. Her mouth was dry and her head ached, but as she heard the soft whisper of her name she forced herself to slowly open her eyes. Barty Crouch Jr was sat next to her bed, leaning onto the side as he looked to her face with a searching intensity.

"Hel—" Nymphadora went to speak, but all she could do was cough.

"Here," Barty rushed to reach for the jug of water on her bedside table, pouring her a glass. She tried to sit up but it only caused a jolt of pain to shoot through her, she lifted her head just slightly in the end, letting Barty help her drink for a moment before resting her head back into the pillows. "Don't speak if you can't."

"I'm fine," Dora croaked.

"Yeah, right." Barty scoffed.

"What happened?" Dora said, looking to Barty as he leaned back in his chair, "I bet Rabastan thinks I'm a right idiot."

"Are you not?" Barty cocked an eyebrow as he smirked at the girl.

"You're lucky I don't know where my wand is," Dora mumbled.

"Well, it's right next to you, but I doubt very much you could reach for it right now." Barty shrugged, though for good measure he reached over and pushed the wand out of arms reach of the witch.

"What happened?" Dora asked again.

"You got hit," Barty said, his entire demeanour becoming more serious for a moment, "I had to carry you back here. You were pretty badly hurt—Rod reckons you had another spell mess with the one that cut open your back."

"Cut open my back?" Nymphadora frowned in confusion before she looked down her body as best she could, "Well, that would explain the mess of bandages . . ."

"This is my fault," Barty mumbled.

"How is it your fault?" Nymphadora rolled her eyes, "You didn't do this."

"I suggested we go out," Barty said, "I said you were just as bad as Bellatrix, you're just a kid."

"I am not!" Nymphadora's hair flashed red, though she winced as she went to try and hit the wizard, "I'm a bloody grown woman,"

"You're twenty-two," Barty said.

"Actually, _twenty-three_ last birthday, shows how much you pay attention," Nymphadora huffed, "Besides, I'll have you know I can be just as 'bad' as Aunt Bellatrix when I want to be. I was fine until I got caught off guard—it happens."

"It shouldn't have," Barty sighed.

"I was being a cocky prat, is that what you want to hear?" Dora smirked as Barty let out a huff of laughter, "I'll leave out the part where you suggested we go out when my Aunt asks me what happens, shall I?"

"Didn't she already ask you what happened when you got here?" Barty raised an eyebrow.

"I—Maybe, I can't remember," Dora bit her lip.

"I should get Bella," Barty went to leave the room, stopping as a quiet whisper of 'No.' came from behind him. He turned to look at the girl curiously.

"No . . ." Dora hesitated for a moment before she patted the space next to her on the bed, "Stay here?"

"I don't think you're up for that at the moment, Nymphie," Barty joked weakly.

"Well no shit," Dora laughed, "no, just lay here with me for a bit? Aunt Bella will fuss over me and I just want to rest for a little bit . . . please?"

Barty looked at the girl, her pale complexion, bandaged broken body, the look in her deep dark eyes. He couldn't say no. He sighed dramatically, though smiled all the same, as he kicked his shoes off and got onto the bed beside Nymphadora. He was careful not to jostle her, laying awkwardly beside her until with a breath of amusement Nymphadora adjusted herself slightly to let her head rest on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt Barty gingerly put his arm around her.

"Your Aunt will murder me if she walks in on us like this," Barty mused.

"Let her try," Dora mumbled, letting herself relax in the comforting arms of Barty Crouch Jr.

* * *

Nymphadora bit back a groan of pain as she gingerly made her way down the halls of Lestrange Manor. It had been a few days since she had been injured and she was starting to become more than irate at the bed rest her Aunt had insisted on enforcing on her. She couldn't help but think bed rest was something that she should really be adhering to as it took her all of ten minutes to make her way down the stairs without making a noise.

As she finally reached her destination of the kitchen she couldn't help but mutter "Thank Merlin for that,"

"For what?" a voice replied.

"Shit," Dora jumped slightly, hissing in pain and grabbing her sides as she looked up to see Rabastan staring at her with a raised eyebrow and a mildly amused smirk on his features. "Don't just jump up on people like that," she mumbled as she made her way over to the larder.

"Well, I hardly jumped up on you now, did I?" Rabastan made his way over to the small table and chairs, sliding into a seat and carrying on with his snack as he watched Nymphadora curiously, "Should you be out of bed?"

"I'm fine," Dora hissed, turning to face the man, "I feel—Is that my chocolate?"

"This?" Rabastan looked down to the Honeydukes toffee and honeycomb chocolate bar, casually breaking off a chunk and popping it into his mouth, "Is it?"

"Yes," Dora growled, walking over to the man, she hesitated for a moment before slowly lowering herself into the seat beside him. She went to take the bar away from him, though to her annoyance he quickly held it out of her reach.

"It's rude to snatch," Rabastan mused, "did Andromeda never teach you manners? I suppose she must have slipped a lot since I last saw her."

"Yes, I get it, I'm an idiotic half-blood spawn of a blood traitor and a mudblood and you just can't get over the fact that I can _actually_ be a half-decent Death Eater," Dora hesitated for a moment before she furrowed her brow in annoyance, "despite what our last outing might have shown."

Rabastan considered the girl for a moment, watching her curiously before he eventually sighed and put the chocolate down on the table, sliding it over to her. "Actually," Rabastan said as Nymphadora hesitantly took the chocolate and looked to him, "I didn't think you did that badly."

"Thanks," Dora scoffed, popping a piece of chocolate into her mouth, "because having to be carried back and passing out in agony from my injuries definitely seems like I wasn't that bad."

Rabastan laughed at the girl's sarcasm, "It was hardly your fault . . . we've all been there."

"Really?" Dora scoffed, "You're telling me even your brother has ended up like I did? I find that hard to believe."

"Well," Rabastan smirked, "he does have a fair few scars that he likes to cover up—though those were mainly him getting in the way when Bellatrix was having a bit too much fun. I do seem to recall Bellatrix getting knocked out in her early days though."

"Really?" Dora raised an eyebrow at the man, "Aunt Bella got herself knocked out? What happened?"

"Well, it was before I was a fully-fledged Death Eater, so I wasn't invited to the party." Rabastan said as he got up and started looking for the fire whiskey, "But at least you were conscious when you came back. Rodolphus ended up running into the manor with her one night with her in his arms and I didn't see either of them for a good day or two after that."

"Did you ever find out what happened?" Dora asked, going to sit forward curiously before a wince of pain reminded her to sit straight.

"Well, I think Bellatrix got a little carried away—bit off more than she could chew, then paid the price. That woman is—" Rabastan paused as he turned back to the room, grinning sheepishly as he saw his sister-in-law in the doorway, "Bella, how nice of you to join us."

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law, slowly walking over to the table "What am I, Rab?"

"A ray of sunshine," Rabastan smiled sarcastically, "Aha! There it is," he triumphantly pulled out the bottle he had been looking for, " _so_ , I shall be seeing you two lovely ladies. Me and the boys have a little catching up to do I believe."

Rabastan quickly hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind him and scurrying off to find Rodolphus and Barty. Nymphadora sat awkwardly in her chair for a moment, not saying a word for a long time as she could feel her Aunt staring at her. She broke off another piece of chocolate and threw it in her mouth just for something to do to pass the awkward silence.

"I told you to stay in bed," Bellatrix eventually said, walking over to the girl as she turned her head to look at her.

"I was hungry," Dora said, offering her chocolate to her Aunt though she merely shook her head, "More for me . . ." Dora muttered.

"Nymphadora," Bellatrix said, leaning against the table as she looked down at her niece, "I did not tell you to stay in bed to punish you or drive you to tears with boredom. I did it for your own good."

Dora swallowed her chocolate carefully before replying to her Aunt, "I feel tons better, fit as a fiddle, I—Ow!" Dora hissed and swore as her Aunt put her hand on her back, "Well that's not playing fair."

"Well, you should know better than to lie to me," Bellatrix smirked, holding her hand out for her niece. The girl stared at her for a moment before begrudgingly she took the woman's hand and let her help her to her feet, "Come on, Dora. You need to rest, we have an important meeting tomorrow."

"We do?" Dora asked, putting her arm around her Aunt to let her support her back up to her room. She didn't want to admit that it was much easier to get back to her room with someone to help her.

"Yes," Bellatrix's smirk only grew as she spoke, slowing slightly to help Nymphadora up the stairs, "it's nearly time."

"Time?" Dora's eyes glistened with excitement, "The Dark Lord has a plan to get it? Will it work this time?"

"Of course it will," Bellatrix laughed, "we're all going, Nymphadora. Which is why you need to rest, to be prepared, it is very important that we succeed in this task."

"Right," Dora nodded, relieved when they eventually reached her room. She let Bellatrix help her into her bed, let out a sigh of relief as she fell back into the comfort of her bed. "Wait," Nymphadora called as Bellatrix went to leave the room, she turned and looked at her, "stay? I'm dying of boredom in here."

Bellatrix considered the girl for a moment, eventually nodding and walking back to her niece. She climbed onto the bed next to her, letting the girl lean her head on her shoulder. Nymphadora closed her eyes, smiling slightly as Bellatrix placed her hand on her own. "You know . . ." Bellatrix mused, waiting for Nymphadora to look up to her before she carried on though the elder witch simply looked down at the girl's hand, playing with her fingers absentmindedly, "I don't think you did that badly on your little impromptu outing . . . The Dark Lord was pleased."

"How long were you listening at the door?" Nymphadora huffed in amusement, resting her head on her Aunt's shoulder again.

"Long enough," Bellatrix said, "I may have put a charm on your room to know if you left it. I followed you practically from your room."

"And what if I simply went to go to the toilet?" Nymphadora said.

"You have an en-suite," Bellatrix scoffed.

". . . I may prefer the main bathroom," Nymphadora laughed, "you never know."

"Of course," Bellatrix rolled her eyes in amusement, "because why would you use the bathroom a few feet from your bed when you can walk all the way down the hall?"

"Exactly," Nymphadora agreed.

". . . Don't go getting yourself killed, Nymphadora," Bellatrix murmured, "You are a good Death Eater . . ."

"And you'd miss me, right?" Nymphadora smirked. Bellatrix didn't say anything, though she eventually squeezed the girl's hand. Nymphadora learned not to expect many emotions from Bellatrix, though knew that the squeeze of her hand spoke volumes. She sighed, letting herself close her eyes again and rest into her Aunt. They didn't speak much after that, Nymphadora eventually falling asleep in her Aunt's arms.

* * *


	32. The Department of Mysteries

Nymphadora took a deep breath, staring at herself in the mirror for a moment before she snapped herself into action. She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out her pitch-black dress, laying it on her bed. She couldn't help but wonder if it would end up being another perfectly good dress that was destined to become destroyed yet again. She shook the thought from her head as she heard her door creak open, turning and frowning slightly as she saw Barty come into the room.

"What are you doing?" Nymphadora said.

"Nice to see you too," Barty smirked, closing the door behind him, he drew his wand to lock and soundproof the door. With three quick strides he had reached Nymphadora, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her into himself. He paused for a slight moment, staring into the witches questioning dark brown eyes for a moment before he pressed his lips firmly to her own.

It took her less than a second to respond to his advances, moving her lips against his and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She let out a throaty giggle as she eventually surfaced for air, "Barty, we haven't got the time."

"We have an hour," Barty gave a slight pout, "that's more than enough time."

"True . . ." Dora mused, "but what would we do with the remaining fifty minutes?"

"Hey!" Barty exclaimed in an exaggerated offence, the witch laughing at him before he moved her to back into the wall, "We will be lucky to only take an hour, but I believe I can make it work."

Barty slid his hands down to her hips, leaning his head down and kissing her neck. He smirked as she let out a small groan of pleasure at the sensation, reaching her hand up to tangle in his hair before without warning he let out a hiss of pain as she grabbed hold of it and sharply pulled his head away. She considered him for a moment, not releasing his hair as she slowly shook her head. "I need to concentrate. I can't go wearing myself out before such an important task, Barty."

"Let me do the work then." Barty said as he went to move his hand to Dora's ass, hissing as she slapped it away, "Hey! Stop hurting me, Nymphie."

"Well then take no for an answer." Nymphadora rolled her eyes (though a small smirk was still apparent) as she slipped out of the man's reach. "I need to stay focused. I can't risk getting hurt again, not tonight of all nights."

"You won't," Barty sighed. He went to sit on the girl's bed, fingering the fabric of the dress she had chosen, "not revealing enough."

"Yes," Nymphadora raised an eyebrow as she spoke sarcastically, "because I want every inch of flesh possible exposed when I'm going on a mission."

"We're up against a child," Barty scoffed, "maybe more than one—but still a child."

"We don't know he won't alert the Order somehow," Dora said, distracting herself as she pulled her boots out ready to put on, "we could be in for a battle. He could get a message to Dumbledore somehow. We could need to battle the whole bloody Order. We—"

"Nymphadora," Barty spoke firmly as he stood to his feet, taking both of the witch's hands in his own as he stopped her from running around her room like a headless chicken in worry, "whatever happens we'll be fine, _we'll have fun_."

". . . What if—" Nymphadora took a deep breath, swallowing hard before she managed to carry on, "What if we end up getting arrested?"

"Well," Barty considered his words for a moment before he carried on, "then we get arrested. We spend a little while in Azkaban and The Dark Lord breaks us out when he thinks we've learnt our lesson for failing."

"Great," Dora scoffed.

"Hey," Barty sighed, drawing the witch into his arms, "Nymphie, you're fucking brilliant. If you get caught I'll eat my mask."

"Your mask?" Dora laughed.

"Well, I would say hat but I don't believe I own one," Barty shrugged, "mask was the first thing I could think of."

"I see," Dora shook her head in amusement.

Barty ran his hands through her pink hair, watching as the woman closed her eyes and leaned her head into his touch. He couldn't help but smile slightly as he admired her beauty, she opened her eyes after a minute and looked up to him. "Do you want me to leave you to get changed?" he forced himself to say, "Let you focus?"

". . . No," Dora sighed, "you can stay."

"Okay," Barty grinned, "but if you expect me to stay whilst you change I cannot promise that I will be able to control myself."

Nymphadora merely laughed, pushing the man away from herself as she picked up her dress and began to prepare for the task ahead of them.

* * *

"Ready?" Bellatrix smirked as she looked at her niece, near enough ignoring the rest of the room in that moment as she pulled her mask in place.

"I was born ready," Nymphadora returned to smirk, placing her own mask in place as her Aunt giggled at her comment.

"Just try not to get hurt this time," Rabastan teased.

"In other words, don't trust you're safe around those two idiots," Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her brother in law, nodding to both him and Barty.

"I can look after myself," Nymphadora huffed.

"Sure, you can," Rabastan smirked, jumping out of the way just in time as Bellatrix threw a small stinging hex at him.

"Will you children behave?" Lucius narrowed his eyes in the direction of his sister-in-law.

"You realise I'm older than you?" Bellatrix smirked, though Lucius merely rolled his eyes in acknowledgement before going on to address his comrades.

* * *

Before Nymphadora knew it they were inside the ministry, months of planning finally unfolding as they arrived in the main atrium. It was almost laughable to Nymphadora, how so many Death Eaters could stroll right into the middle of headquarters to the Ministry of Magic with minimal effort to do so. They walked with confidence towards the lifts, only stopping for a moment as a poorly shaven man in peacock blue robes came out of the only moving lift.

Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh as the man looked like he was about to topple over in fright of the sight before him, his hand shaking furiously as he reached for his wand. "What do we have here?" Bellatrix mused, grinning manically beneath her mask.

"The watch wizard," Nymphadora smirked, crossing her arms as her Aunt drew her wand, the poor man stumbling backwards and falling into the still open lift behind him.

"Well, we don't like being watched, do we?" Bellatrix cooed at the man, pointing her wand directly at his heart.

"For Merlin's sake, stop playing with your food!" Lucius hissed.

Bellatrix pouted slightly before letting out a dramatic sigh, "Fine," she hardened her gaze, gripping tightly onto her wand before she hissed, " _Avada Kedavra_!"

"You couldn't have found a less obvious way to get rid of him than leaving a trail of bodies behind us?" Rodolphus merely sighed as the man fell to a heap on the floor, "We need him out of the way."

"Allow me," Nymphadora sighed without hesitation, walking past her Aunt to face her victim. She shook her head in pity, drawing her wand and concentrating on transfiguring the body. It was with a grin a second later as she reached down and picked up the golden coin that she had changed the body into, turning to her peers.

"Inspired," Barty scoffed.

"You gave me the idea, I must admit." Nymphadora rolled her eyes, tapping the coin and watching as it zoomed off to drop itself in the Fountain of Magical Brethren. "I thought turning him into a bone may be a little obvious though."

"Enough dilly dally," Lucius snapped, marching forward into the lift and making his way down to the Department of Mysteries with a few others.

"Nice work," Bellatrix giggled, squeezing the girl's shoulder and grabbing the next lift with Dora, Rabastan, Rodolphus and Barty. In the cramped environment, she either did not realise or did not care as Nymphadora ended up squashed particularly close to Barty Crouch (though Nymphadora was certain she did not notice the hand that Barty let graze her ass as she stifled a giggle). Though she decided it was best to focus as they carried on forward, meeting the rest of their comrades outside the Department of Mysteries. Not one person spoke a word after that, even Bellatrix Lestrange apparently portraying the height of concentration and—for lack of a better word—professionalism as their only focus was on the task at hand. They entered the first room with the many doors, Rookwood stepped forward looking at each door individually for a split second before he moved towards one with confidence and led the way. They passed through a room full of a beautiful, dancing, diamond-sparkling light with clocks of every shape and size filling each and every surface. Nymphadora couldn't help but let her gaze linger on a large bell jar, a small egg shaking within as it began to break open. She didn't get a chance to stare for long as she was pushed forward with the rest of her comrades into the next room. They were surrounded by shelves so tall that Nymphadora could not see the top, tiny dusty orbs of light crammed to fill every inch of their surface. Though Lucius stood forward at this point, leading them down the many aisles until they reached row number 97.

"We will need to split up into pairs," Lucius said with confidence and without hesitation, pointing to the various different rows around them, "Rabastan and Barty, you go down that row, Rookwood and Dolohov, that one, Bellatrix and Ro—"

"Nymphadora," Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, grabbing her niece's hand as the woman jumped slightly to realise that her Aunt was so close to her (she would never get over her uncanny ability to sneak up on her in such a way).

"Rodolphus," Lucius narrowed his eyes, "I am in charge here."

"Rodolphus can go with Macnair," Bellatrix hissed, "I will be going with Nymphadora."

"I—" Nymphadora went to speak but was quickly interrupted.

"This way, yes?" Bellatrix asked as she nodded to one of the rows, though she didn't wait before she walked off dragging Nymphadora with her. The younger witch didn't dare say a word as she followed her Aunt, waiting until they were hidden and out of the way before she dared to even look at her. Bellatrix Lestrange's piercing dark eyes were staring down at her, an unrecognisable glint within them as Nymphadora couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away. "I trust you, you realise," Bellatrix eventually whispered after what felt like hours of silence, "I just don't trust the others. Some of them would be happy to see you fail."

"I won't," Nymphadora said on instinct.

"I know," Bellatrix smirked, "it was I who trained you and I do not train failures. But the men . . ." Bellatrix stared off into the distance for a moment before she shook her head, "you're with me."

"I can look after myself," Nymphadora said firmly, Bellatrix letting out a small huff of laughter, "but . . . I'm glad I'm with you."

"I—" Bellatrix went to speak again but quickly put her hand up and tilted her head in the direction of the voices now entering the room. They were young voices; Potter had arrived.

Nymphadora followed her Aunt dutifully as soon as they heard Lucius Malfoy speaking to the children, unable to help her smirk of excitement at the hidden terror on the children's faces as they realised that they were surrounded.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry Potter said.

Nymphadora could only grin beneath her mask as her Aunt screeched in amusement next to her, taunting the young boy. Her eyes flickered across the room, looking at each individual child as her Aunt carried on with her hauntingly taunting act. She couldn't quite believe that the children had fallen so perfectly for The Dark Lord's planted trap within the Potter boys mind. How foolish to run headfirst into danger without the slightest thought for your own safety nor evidence, _Well, that's Gryffindors for you_ Nymphadora thought with a smirk of amusement. She looked to her Aunt as she tried to stupefy the boy, Lucius ensuring that he deflected the spell as it spun off course and only smashed some worthless prophecies nearby. Her heart was racing with excitement, she gripped tightly onto her wand as she watched each of the children in turn. As she eventually realised the children were trying to convey a message whilst Potter distracted them Nymphadora tried to grasp her Aunt's attention, but it was too late.

"REDUCTO!" A chorus of young voices rung out.

Nymphadora ducked immediately, grabbing her Aunt to drag her down out of the way as hundred of glass spheres shattered above their heads, hundreds of voices reciting long forgotten prophecies in a ghostly fashion. Bellatrix growled as she pulled her grasp away from her niece, running after the Potter boy as Nymphadora quickly tried to catch up beside her. She winced as she watched Jugson get elbowed in the face by the boy, but carried on regardless. She managed to overtake her Aunt, finding herself running beside Nott as they tried to catch up with the children.

She was quicker than him, as the mudblood friend of Potter turned and yelled " _Stupefy_!" it was he who caught the spell and she quickly jumped over his body. They were aiming for a door in front of them and Nymphadora gritted her teeth in her determination to reach them before they got to their target. She yelled in annoyance however when they quickly slammed the door in front of her, unable to slow her speed in time she crashed into the door just as it was sealed and fell to the floor. She groaned at the pain in her shoulder, but before she had a chance to compose herself Barty was in front of her, pulling her to her feet as she muttered her thanks.

"Leave Nott, _leave him, I say_ —" Lucius roared as he approached them side by side with her Aunt, Jugson abandoning his attempt to help Nott as the rest came up behind him. "his injuries will be nothing to the Dark Lord compared to losing that prophecy. Jugson, come back here, we need to organise! We'll split into pairs and search,"

Nymphadora brushed herself down as Lucius began to shout orders at the lot of them, waiting for him to finish before she went to the left of the door with Bellatrix and Rodolphus.

"Stupid!" Bellatrix screeched, storming ahead of them to find the nearest door "Idiot cannot lead such an important—if it were me—if he had just let me—bloody Nymphadora was the closest to actually doing anything nearly right!"

Nymphadora and Rodolphus exchanged a glance for a brief moment, temporarily ignoring the other woman's outburst of rage as she continued to rant to herself. It may have been for that reason alone that they did not come across any children in the next room, though Bellatrix quickly silenced herself and instead they managed to find their way back to the entrance of the Department of Mysteries again.

"What door?" Nymphadora asked as the room eventually stopped spinning.

"Any door," Rodolphus said, Bellatrix apparently now too furious to speak.

Nymphadora took the lead and threw open the door straight ahead of her and immediately stepped forward. She let out a shriek as she lost her footing, grateful as Rodolphus ran forward and grabbed onto her with one hand the other holding firmly onto the door frame. It was a strange room with suspended planets floating around in what Nymphadora guessed was a perfect replica of the solar system.

"Watch your step," Rodolphus smirked as he went to pull the girl back out of the room, though he froze immediately as the sound of a door opening across the way caught his attention.

"Ah!" a girl's scream sounded, followed by a surprised yelp of another girl. Nymphadora squinted and saw the mudblood and the strange blonde girl, quickly followed by Rabastan and Barty.

Without warning, Bellatrix launched herself from the doorway past her husband and into the room ahead of them. Nymphadora let go of her Uncles hand as he too joined her, leaving the three of them floating aimlessly in mid-air. It was a strange sensation and it took every occupant of the room a while to figure out how to manoeuvre through the curious space. Dora made her way towards Barty who had nearly caught up with the mudblood. She knew the more children they could catch the more leverage they would have over Potter, it was a solid plan. She could see her Aunt and Uncle getting nearer to the blonde girl from the corner of her eye, letting herself take quiet amusement in the fact that it was taking Rabastan far longer than the rest of them to find his feet. She was almost at Barty as he grabbed hold of the girl's foot, it all happened too quickly after that.

"Reducto!" Hermione Granger screamed, shattering a replica of Pluto right in Barty's face.

Both the girl and Barty yelled out in pain, the girl making her escape, though Nymphadora was far more focused on Barty now who was currently clutching his bleeding face.

"Stay still!" Nymphadora yelled at him, pulling his hands away from his face to assess the damage.

"I'm fine," Barty hissed, "get the bloody brat!"

"Yeah, you look fine," Nymphadora said sarcastically, pulling the shattered debris from Barty's face as he continued to hiss in pain. He glared at her despite himself until she finished healing him as best as she could for now. "There," Nymphadora sighed, "it'll do for now, I—Where are Aunt Bella and Uncle Rod?"

"They went after the children," Barty rolled his eyes before grabbing the girls hand, "come on."

"You're welcome," Nymphadora rolled her eyes as he pulled her back through the door, helping her land on her feet back in the main entrance room.

"Thank you," Barty sighed.

"You're welcome," she smirked as the man couldn't help but smile slightly at her.

"Come on," he took hold of her hand, looking around the room for a moment before he decided on one.

They walked into a large room lined with stone benches, each step descending steeply towards a raised stone dais in the centre of the pit of the room. Barty slowly let go of her hand, the pair walking down to the pit together as Nymphadora felt herself drawn to the veil in the middle of the room.

"Do you hear that?" Nymphadora murmured, staring at the curtain curiously. As she got to the archway she couldn't help but reach her hand out, going to touch the curtain, drawn to the strange fabric as she wanted nothing but to touch it. "Hey!" Nymphadora hissed as Barty grabbed her hand and pulled it away from the thing.

"Don't touch," Barty said simply, "I—"

A yell echoed through the room and both Death Eaters turned to face its source. Harry Potter was crashing to the floor, bouncing down on each tier of the steps until with a crash he fell on his back feet from Nymphadora and Barty. Both Death Eaters laughed, the sound soon being echoed as their comrades slowly entered the room. The boy got to his feet, going to back away from the newcomers before he turned and saw Nymphadora and Barty smirking down at him, wands pointed straight at his head. He clutched the still miraculously unbroken prophecy tightly to his chest with one hand as he pointed his wand at them with the other. Though he soon turned as Bellatrix and Lucius led the rest of the Death Eaters further into the room.

"I suggest you just hand it over, Potter," Nymphadora sighed with a faux air of uncaring, "then we'll just leave here—we won't bother hunting down the rest of your little friends."

"No, he's not in a position for favours now, Dora," Bellatrix smirked as she stopped opposite the boy, pouting as she adopted her infamous childlike tone, " _baby Potter is all alone_."

"He's dot alone!" shouted a voice from above them, "He's still god be!"

Nymphadora laughed, wondering what on earth had happened to the boys bloodied face as he tried and failed to properly pronounce 'Stupefy' in order to curse her comrades away. She had to bite her lip to steady her giggles as Rookwood grabbed the poor boy from behind, pinioning his arms to his sides. The display of the boy struggling and kicking to escape only making everyone laugh harder.

"Longbottom," Barty snarled, "give it a rest, boy! You don't want to die tonight."

"Longbottom?" a truly evil smile lit Bellatrix's features as she turned to face the boy, "Well, I've had the pleasure of meeting your parent's boy. We didn't do much talking though, unfortunately for them. But then, I suppose you don't know the true story of what happened that night . . ." She glanced at Harry for a moment with an evil smirk before she turned back to the Longbottom boy, pointing her wand at him carefully, "Now—if the boy will not simply give us the prophecy—let's see if this boy can hold out as long as his parents did. Bets anyone?"

"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM!" Neville yelled.

" _Crucio!_ " Bellatrix spoke almost casually, though the effect was profound. The boy screamed an unearthly scream, curling in on himself as he lifted himself from the floor for a moment before he was dropped to the floor by his captor. Bellatrix lifted her wand with a smirk and turned her head back to Potter, "That was just a taster. Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy or watch your little friend die the hard way!"

Nymphadora watched as the boy turned to face her without question, holding the prophecy out to her. It was just as she went to snatch it from his grasp that the doors above them burst open yet again. Four members of The Order of the Phoenix had come to the boy's aid. She swore under her breath, trying to grab the prophecy though a stunner was quickly sent right at her and she had to dive out of the way to escape it by less than an inch. The room was soon alive with Death Eaters and Order members duelling as if their lives depended on it (no doubt some of theirs did). Nymphadora scrambled to her feet as a man she vaguely recognised to be Sirius Black came straight at her, his jaw set with fury and his eyes ablaze with determination. She quickly deflected his spells, matching them with her own. She was pushed back as she almost fell on her back off of the dais as she barely reflected one of the man's spells in time and was about to get hit straight in the chest with a second as another curse whizzed past her and threw his first off course.

"Mine!" Bellatrix hissed through gritted teeth.

"Of course," Sirius Black laughed, the two cousins glaring at each other for a split second before an intense duel resumed this time between the pair.

She stared in awe for a few moments, watching as they duelled so quickly their wands became blurs in their hands. She took a breath before she decided to re-join the battle, looking around the room as the Order was clearly outnumbered. Nymphadora was just about to go and join Barty and Rabastan against Mad-Eye Moody when she caught sight of the Potter boy. The boy was feebly pulling his helpless friend as his legs flailed from what appeared to be a jelly-legs jinx, she watched as he stuffed the orb in his pocket as he attempted his task. She was just about to go to the pair when she saw it. It was if the room around her had suddenly entered some mystery of the time room and all was in slow motion. The orb fell from the boys pocket, soaring through the air as it went to crash into a million pieces on the floor.

"ACCIO PROPHECY!" Nymphadora screamed without thinking, her heart stopping as she stole the orb out of the air as it whizzed towards her.

The room fell silent, she knew that she didn't imagine the eyes upon her as she clutched onto the glass ball in disbelief. Her hair turned white at the shock of it all, she couldn't believe that _she had the prophecy_. She would receive the highest reward for this, she had clearly proven herself to The Dark Lord and would—a strong hand came down on her and pushed her by her shoulder to duck as a red light zoomed past her head.

"GET OUT!" Barty Crouch yelled as he turned the girl towards the exit, Death Eaters and Order members alike were rounding on her. She briefly caught a glimpse of her Aunt trying to curse Sirius as she somehow distracted him back to their deathly duel. Though the rest of her comrades had near enough circled her, furiously duelling the Order to keep them at bay. "Nymphadora!" Barty yelled, forcing the girl to look at him, "Get out and get it to The Dark Lord!"

"Come with me!" Nymphadora grabbed his hand, though he quickly pulled it away.

"No, you go and we will defend you, I'll see you soon—I promise," Barty insisted.

She looked into his eyes for a brief moment longer before with a deep breath she sighed and nodded. She gritted her teeth in determination, one hand firmly on the prophecy and the other now gripping tightly onto her wand. She ran for her life, effortlessly rebounding the feeble disarming spells that the Potter and Longbottom boys tried to fire at her as she bounded past them. She ignored the carnage of the next room, barely paying attention to the children on the floor. She screamed at the entrance room to let her out and slammed open the main door. Her eyes widened in fear as she heard the lift at the end of the corridor beginning to clatter down to her level.

She didn't want to think who it was. She couldn't stop to think. She took the risk and raced in the direction of the lift, knowing that there were stairs to the left if only she could get there before the gates to the lift opened. She couldn't stop to catch a breath of relief as she met the stairway just as the doors opened, hearing the strides of the newcomer aiming straight for the battle she had left behind. She didn't turn to see if anyone was following her, merely prayed that she was alone as a fiery pain of a stitch in her chest appeared from the running. She had to make it back. She would be killed if she got this far and didn't make it back. Her Aunt alone would want to murder her for it and she wasn't sure she would hide her disappointment this time.

Her footsteps echoed throughout the atrium and she could hear the distant cackle of what sounded like her Aunt. She didn't dare turn to check as she failed to stop herself in time to gracefully reach the point she knew she could apparate from, instead crashing into the back of the atrium wall, not even yelling out in pain as her shoulder collided into something solid for the second time that night. She caught a brief glimpse of her Aunt entering the atrium and shared a flicker of a malicious grin of triumph. Harry Potter came skidding up behind Bellatrix, the witch turning to throw a curse at him as Nymphadora Tonks turned on the spot and left for Malfoy Manor.


	33. Wanted

Nymphadora threw open the doors to Malfoy Manor, pulling off her mask and staggering over to her Aunt Narcissa who had run to meet her.

"What happened?" Narcissa asked, worry in her voice as Nymphadora rested her hand on her shoulder for support as she tried to regain her breath, "Did you succeed? Where are the others?"

"Still . . . Still at the Ministry," Nymphadora panted.

Narcissa's eyes widened as she looked down to the girl's hand, the small glass orb still tightly grasped between her fingers, " _Is that it_?"

The younger witch looked down to the orb in her hand, taking a breath she nodded slightly before she righted herself and let go of her Aunt. "Is he here yet?"

"He was, but he left to join you," Narcissa said, "I—Nymphadora wait!"

She had stormed away from her Aunt, striding to the dining hall of Malfoy Manor; the agreed meeting point for when they had returned from their mission.

"Nymphadora he's not back yet," Narcissa sighed as she followed the girl, watching as she pulled one of the chairs out and slumped into it.

"I know . . ." Nymphadora sighed, putting her elbows on the table as she brought the prophecy to her eye line, "but he's coming . . ."

Narcissa slowly approached the girl, standing behind her and peering over her shoulder at the mysterious object. "Nymphadora?" she waited for the young woman's hum of acknowledgement before she carried on, "Lucius . . . Is he . . .?"

"He was duelling when I left . . ." Nymphadora murmured, "Barty told me to run . . . The Order were rounding on me."

"The Order?" Narcissa's eyes widened slightly, though she didn't have a chance to carry on her line of questioning as at that moment the crack of apparation echoed around the room.

Nymphadora quickly stood to her feet and bowed her head, though her heart began to pound in anticipation and worry again as she noticed only her Lord and her Aunt Bellatrix had returned. She frowned slightly, Bellatrix was on the floor as Voldemort raised himself, releasing his grip from her. From the looks of things, Voldemort had had to pull Bellatrix out of the fray himself (either that or they had gotten into something after the Ministry). She didn't have time to question it as Bellatrix scrambled to her feet, as she caught sight of her niece a broad grin split across her lips.

"Leave us, Narcissa," The Dark Lord drawled.

The blonde woman gave a small nod, bowing her head slightly before backing away and leaving the room. No-one moved until the click of the door closing behind her sounded and Bellatrix walked over to her niece.

"Bellatrix tells me you have the prophecy?" Voldemort looked to the still white-haired witch, his eyes gleaming with contained excitement.

"Yes, My Lord." Nymphadora held the orb out to her Master, the man sweeping over to her and snatching the thing from her grasp. She felt slightly more relaxed as the responsibility of protecting the thing was taken from her and though she felt the white drain from her hair she knew it had only gone to black, still far too agitated to go back to the previous pink of earlier in the evening.

"My Lord?" Nymphadora swallowed as her Aunt reached up and squeezed her shoulder proudly, stifling her giggles at the excitement of the night. The Dark Lord did not answer her, but she continued regardless, "My Lord, what happened . . . ?"

Voldemort looked to Bellatrix for a split second before he returned his gaze to the orb. "I killed Sirius Black, for starters," Bellatrix laughed, but the amusement slipped from her voice ever so slightly to be tinged with a mixture of annoyance as she continued "we were the only ones to get out, Dora."

"W-What?" Nymphadora could feel her heart drop, to her surprise immediately thinking of Barty. She looked to her Aunt as if hoping that her Aunt was joking with her, though her curled upper lip showed distaste that let her know that she was not playing with her. "Are they . . . ? What happened to them?"

"Yes, tell me what happened, Bellatrix," Voldemort hissed, his elation at the object in his grasp temporarily marred.

"I—" Bellatrix shrunk back slightly, all amusement gone from her features, "My Lord, we were surrounded. You saw Dumbledore—It wasn't just him, there were others. They surrounded us whilst we were trying to get the prophecy. _I had Potter_ , he was useless when I had his little friend captive. If only _Malfoy_ had let me do that to start with!" Bellatrix hissed in anger before shaking her head and composing herself again, "The Order came, we fought. If it wasn't for Nymphadora's quick thinking we would not have gotten the prophecy. We had to surround her to get her out, she ran as I killed Black," Bellatrix allowed herself a smirk for a moment, "but then Dumbledore came. I was lucky to get out—but I saw the opportunity to lure the boy and—"

"I know the rest," Voldemort said. His eyes gazed over Bellatrix for a moment before he settled on her niece, walking up to her as she looked up to him not knowing what to expect. "It seems . . . that you have done very well, Nymphadora."

"Thank you, My Lord," Nymphadora spoke quietly, though she was unable to fully enjoy the compliment as she couldn't stop thinking about the others still at the Ministry. She looked up at her master for a moment, though the cold smirk on his thin lips made her fear she was showing him too much and she quickly looked away.

"And Bellatrix," she looked eagerly to her master as he spoke her name, "you have also done well. Tonight . . . and clearly with Nymphadora also . . . It is a shame the same can't be said for the rest of my servants."

"What will happen to them?" Nymphadora blurted, blushing slightly as Voldemort looked to her before shaking his head in disappointment.

"They will be sent to Azkaban," Voldemort mused, "they won't be sentencing any of them to the kiss, if that is what you are wondering, Nymphadora. I am sure the Ministry will want to attempt to prove that they still have the ability to hold their prisoners."

"But they don't," Bellatrix gave a throaty laugh.

"No, Bella, they do not," Voldemort smirked, "though I believe those that have failed tonight shall need to learn a lesson . . . I will free them when the time seems right."

Nymphadora couldn't help but notice the twitch of a well-disguised frown from her Aunt at those words, she had almost forgotten that the woman's husband was one of those currently on their way to Azkaban prison.

"What does it say, My Lord?" Bellatrix breathed as she returned her focus to the prophecy, perhaps looking for a change of topic herself.

"I will listen to it alone, Bella." Voldemort hissed suddenly, making the witch jump. He considered the pair for a moment before he continued "I may share my findings if I deem it necessary . . . lay low. Bellatrix, you were not masked when I got to the Ministry and Nymphadora . . . whether you kept yourself disguised or not tonight I do not believe that it will be hard for the Ministry to connect you to the events of the evening. I highly doubt you began the evening with the white hair you wore when I arrived here," Nymphadora blushed slightly, cursing herself for not thinking of such things, "You can both stay with Narcissa, you can be concealed well enough here . . . I will no doubt call for you soon . . ."

Both witches bowed their heads and murmured their acknowledgements, staying perfectly still until they heard their master leave. It was Nymphadora that moved first, lifting her head and letting out a small breath.

"Are we wanted now?" Nymphadora asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Bellatrix laughed, "I believe we are."

Both witches turned as the doors to the dining room opened, Nymphadora nearly reaching for her wand as if she was expecting to see the Aurors coming after them already. But it was just Narcissa. She looked paler than she had done minutes previously, striding over to the pair and grabbing Bellatrix by the arm. Nymphadora couldn't help but think not many people could get away with such a thing, though she sometimes forgot that the witches were sisters, dissimilar as they could be at times.

"Where is Lucius, Bellatrix?" Narcissa spoke firmly, "Where is my husband?"

Bellatrix sighed deeply, looking almost bored before she feigned some compassion for the blonde witch. She took her hand and pulled it from her arm, taking her hand in both of her own as she attempted some form of comfort for her. "Azkaban," Bellatrix said simply.

"A—" Narcissa's lip quivered, her eyes wide as she shook her head, "Azkaban?" Bellatrix nodded, Narcissa turning her gaze to her niece as if hoping for her to say she was lying, though she merely nodded again. "No!"

"Yes," Bellatrix said, "He got captured."

"He got _captured_?" Narcissa breathed, "B-But you two are here, you have the prophecy! The mission was a success, no?"

"Only thanks to myself and Nymphadora," Bellatrix rolled her eyes, giving up on her attempt of comforting her sister as she let go of her hands, "Lucius almost made the mission a complete and utter failure, the whole thing was very nearly far worse. Though Nymphadora got the prophecy as Potter tried to get away and I killed Sirius."

"You killed Sirius?" Narcissa asked, taken aback at the sudden revelation.

"Yes," Bellatrix grinned, jumping back and sitting on the table, "oh it was wonderful."

"You killed the bloodline!" Narcissa yelled.

"He killed the bloodline years ago," Bellatrix wrinkled her nose, "scum."

"I—You—He—Argh!" Narcissa let out a yell of fury, causing Nymphadora to jump back in shock at her behaviour as the blonde witch stormed from the room.

"I don't think she's okay . . ." it was all Nymphadora could think to say as she shook her head, her Aunt scoffing in amusement.

"She'll be okay," Bellatrix shrugged, grabbing her niece's arm from her seat and turning her so she could look down at her. She brushed the hair from her face, smiling proudly down at her, "you did well tonight . . ."

"Thanks . . ." Dora said, forcing a slight smile.

"Why are you sad then?" Bellatrix mused, "You should be elated."

"I—Well, we're wanted now, that's nothing to be happy about," Nymphadora quickly lied, she knew that wasn't the reason her heart had settled in her stomach.

"It's exciting," Bellatrix grinned, "they won't catch us, pet."

"No, I suppose not . . ." Dora said, "Aren't you a little sad though?" Bellatrix furrowed her brow in confusion, "Well, Uncle Rod is . . . With Uncle Lucius."

"He is . . ." Bellatrix nodded solemnly, "but he'll be back. Soon."

"But he said when the time seems right," Dora shook her head, "that could be—"

" _Soon_ ," Bellatrix said, her grip tightening on the witch for a moment before she seemed to calm again, "come on, Dora, Narcissa has a hidden wing similar to my own. I believe some rest is in order."

Nymphadora nodded following her Aunt out of the dining room. She didn't say much else, letting her Aunt kiss her cheek as she said goodnight to her at the door of her new room. She had to admit it was better than the set up at Lestrange Manor for the 'Wanted Criminals', the room was just as big as her own at Lestrange Manor and just as well decorated and furnished. She kicked off her boots, flicking her wand to make her corset fall from her and collapsed onto the sheets. She should have been ecstatic. She should have been jumping for joy and be bursting with pride in the knowledge that it was her that had made sure The Dark Lord had received what he had desired for so long. But Nymphadora Tonks felt numb. She curled her fingers around the sheets, squeezing her eyes shut and willing the tears behind her eyelids to stay put. She didn't care about Barty, not all that much. The bastard had lied to her, he told her that he would see her soon and then the idiot had gotten caught, _that_ was why she was upset— _no_ , angry. Or that was what she kept telling herself as she struggled to sleep.

* * *

Andromeda Tonks was laid in bed, her head rested on her husband's shoulder as she trailed small circles on his sleeping chest. She had been up for hours, though had not had the heart to wake poor Ted, despite her boredom. The clock now showed that it was eight 'o' clock, however, and she sighed as she pulled herself up with the intention of making breakfast for the two of them.

"'Dromeda . . ." Ted mumbled sleepily.

"Shh," Andromeda smiled slightly as she pulled on her dressing gown, "I'll let you know when breakfast is ready."

"I'll help," Ted sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and forcing himself to sit up.

"You're more of a hindrance than a help, love." Andromeda rolled her eyes in amusement as she took her wand from her bedside table, "You're better off sleeping a little longer."

"I—Good point," Ted nodded as he fell back into the pillows.

Andromeda left the room, walking down the corridor and making her way to the stairs. She couldn't help but stop for a moment as she caught sight of the open door to her daughter's room. She looked back to her own room as if worried her husband would walk out and catch her staring, before she walked over to the open door. The room had barely changed an inch since the day the girl had left. The cupboards were still bare, the posters of the then sixteen-year-old girl's still adorning the wall, the only main difference was the quickly emptied draws were now closed and the bed now made (Though this had only been a result of Ted finding her laid in it shortly after Nymphadora left, it didn't seem necessary to keep it the girl's usual mess after that). She took a deep breath, fighting the chill that the room always gave her as she took hold of the handle and closed the door.

It was as she was halfway down the stairs that she felt it; a disturbance in her wards. She drew her wand quickly, thoughts of Death Eaters storming her home as she called out "Ted! Get down here!"

But it was too late, the front door burst open and multiple witches and wizards crossed the fresh hold. But it wasn't Death Eaters and the shock of this froze her, barely moving as her wand was summoned from her hand and multiple wands were pointed at her.

"What!? Who is—?" Ted froze behind his wife as he noted the Aurors stood at the foot of the stairs, not fighting the sensation of his wand being summoned from him.

"Have I broken a law I don't know about?" Andromeda asked calmly.

"Search the house," the wizard clearly in charge said, a few others breaking off to begin their search of the house before he stepped forward, "Mr and Mrs Tonks, I am Kingsley Shacklebolt, from the Auror office. Could you please come and sit with me in the sitting room?"

Andromeda forced herself not to sneer at the man, the idea of being invited into her own living room absolutely ludicrous to her. She felt her husband place his hand on her shoulder and she gave a small nod in agreement. "Do you think you could perhaps not point your wands at us as if we have committed murder in front of you?" Andromeda said as she passed the man and walked into the living room.

"What the hell is going on?" Ted asked, though Andromeda took his hand and squeezed it as they sat on the settee and he quietened.

"Decided we're not a threat?" Andromeda remarked as the man entered the room alone.

"I apologise for the inconvenience," Shacklebolt said as he went and sat opposite the couple.

"Why are you here?" Ted asked.

"Last night, there was an attack at the Ministry," Kingsley said simply.

"We didn't go anywhere last night." Ted said, "What the hell have we got to do with this?"

The reality of the situation suddenly hit Andromeda like a ton of bricks, swallowing hard and looking to the floor she forced herself to speak, "She isn't here."

"We have to check, Mrs Tonks," Kingsley said.

"Who?" Ted frowned, not quite realising what was going on yet, "It's just us who live here, I mean, Nymphadora used to, but that was years ago. She lives with—Wait. You think _Dora_ was involved?"

"A witch was reported to be in attendance that could change her hair colour without the aid of potions or spells," Kingsley said, "your daughter is the only witch we have registered at the Ministry that matches her description."

"Well she can look however she wants to look," Ted said, slightly affronted, "that doesn't mean anything."

"Who else was there?" Andromeda asked, ignoring her husband's denial as she looked up to the Auror, "I know you may not be able to say . . . perhaps there were other relatives of mine?"

Kingsley gave a nod, "We have arrested Lucius Malfoy and the Lestrange brothers, Bellatrix Lestrange was identified to be there as well, though she escaped along with who we believe to be your daughter."

"Then it was Nymphadora there," Andromeda said quietly, attempting to ignore the look of denial and hurt on her husband's features. "What did she do?"

"There was a robbery . . . and Sirius Black was murdered."

"Dora isn't a murderer," Ted shook his head.

"Sirius Black was murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange," Kingsley watched the pair, Andromeda wincing slightly at the news.

"I thought you Ministry lot were adamant my cousin was Death Eater and a murderer himself?" Andromeda said with spite, she had never believed her younger cousin to be guilty and was glad at any excuse to get one over the Auror at the moment, "I assume you've now finally decided my dear sister is a Death Eater, so why would a Death Eater murder a Death Eater?"

"I- . . ." Kingsley sighed slightly, looking to the door for a moment before looking back to the steely glare of Andromeda Tonks, unable to help but notice the similarity in appearance to her sister, "Sirius Black is to be cleared of all charges later today. The Ministry made a mistake."

"Well then maybe they made a mistake about Dora . . ." Ted said, though he didn't sound too sure of himself.

"When was the last time you saw your daughter?" Kingsley asked.

"She left this home when she was sixteen, Mr Shacklebolt, I very briefly spoke to her in Diagon Alley over a year ago but that is it." Andromeda showed no emotion to the Auror, knowing that her husband was now staring at her (she had never told Ted about her encounter with their daughter), "She lives with Bellatrix and Rodolphus."

"And why is that?" Kingsley asked.

"Though the Ministry have been either willing to take bribes, I assume, or succumb to pure idiocy for the last Merlin knows how many years. I have always known of Bellatrix's true allegiance," Andromeda paused for a moment before she carried on, "Bellatrix can be a very persuasive . . . _manipulative_ person, I suppose she used this on our daughter and by the time she was sixteen she didn't want to live with us anymore. Bellatrix turned our own daughter against us."

"I am sorry to hear that," Kingsley said, though Andromeda did not acknowledge his words.

"Are you done?" Andromeda said, standing up and pulling her dressing gown closer to herself as one of the Aurors walked back into the room.

"It's clear," the Auror said, "the rest are waiting outside."

"Thank you, Williamson." Kingsley turned to the couple again and tipped his hat, "I am sorry for any inconvenience caused to yourselves this morning," he ignored Andromeda's huff, "if you should hear or see anything—"

"We know how to get in contact," Andromeda said sternly.

Kingsley gave a small smile at the pair before he turned and left the room and the home. Neither Tonks moved or spoke a word until they both knew that all of the Ministry presence had left their home.

"Right," Andromeda said, "breakfast."

Ted frowned slightly as Andromeda walked out of the room, "Dromeda?" he followed her to the kitchen, watching her summoning the saucepan and eggs and lighting the stove. "Andromeda?"

"Are fried eggs okay?" Andromeda asked, placing the saucepan on the stove and summoning the bread and butter to the side. "You like eggs, I could do some bacon too."

"Andromeda," Ted said more firmly, the witch finally stopping what she was doing and turning to face him.

"What?" the smile on Andromeda's face was undeniably forced.

"Speak to me," Ted spoke carefully, reaching out and touching his wife's elbow, "we need to talk about this."

"I—"

"You always do this," Ted shook his head, "tell me what you're thinking."

"I'm fine, Ted," Andromeda said, though her smile became more forced and her voice cracked slightly.

". . . you said this would happen," Ted sighed, shaking his head, "I know it doesn't make it any better but . . ."

"Nothing would make this better . . ." Andromeda furrowed her brow and closed her eyes, willing herself not to break.

"Andromeda," Ted sighed, reaching and pulling his wife into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and brought his hand to rest her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair, "you never have to hide your true feelings with me, you know that."

Andromeda Tonks sniffed, wrapping her arms around her husband and screwing her eyes shut as she couldn't help but will back her tears, "I—I knew this was coming . . . But that doesn't make it any easier . . ."

"I know . . ." Ted sighed, kissing his wife's head, determined to remain strong for her sake.

"I—Maybe part of me thought . . ." Andromeda shook her head, "She's marked, Ted. She's _his_ now. She's not our daughter anymore—she hasn't been for years."

"She'll always be our daughter, Dromeda," Ted said, squeezing his wife, "No matter how far she gets wrapped up in that world, she'll always be our daughter . . . At least it sounds like she's well, I mean, he didn't say she was injured or anything and even if she is running around with that lot she's still okay. That's something, right? And—Well, if she's doing well with his lot—which it sounds like she is—we don't have to worry about her getting hurt by them. The worst that will happen is she'll end up in Azkaban, I suppose. She could use a time out by the sounds of things."

Andromeda couldn't help a scoff of laughter as she lifted her head to look at her husband, "Even if she turns into some insane mass murderer?"

"Don't think about it, Dromeda . . ." Ted sighed, sweeping the woman's hair from her face, "She's too much like you; she can fight for herself well enough."

Andromeda nodded slightly and sighed, resting her head back on her husband's shoulder, " . . . Are you hungry?"

"No . . ." Ted said.

Andromeda flicked her wand behind her, turning off the stove, "Then let's go back to bed," she smiled slightly as the man nodded in agreement, reaching up and kissing him gently before they made their way back to the bedroom. Andromeda struggled not to think of where Nymphadora was right now, though she had to admit it was not unusual for her to be thinking of her daughter even years after she had left them.


	34. Wine and Confessions

Bellatrix Lestrange grinned as she pulled the curtains to her niece's room wide open, turning to the woman groaning in her bed as she pulled the sheets up over her head.

"Wakey, wakey," Bellatrix chimed, striding over and falling to sit down next to her niece.

"No . . ." Dora groaned from beneath the sheets, "Sleep . . ." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, grabbing onto the sheets and pulling them away from the girl. Nymphadora turned to face her Aunt, squinting against the sunlight in her groggy state. "Has anyone ever told you," Dora yawned widely, "that you are a very mean person."

"Hmm," Bellatrix mused, "I've been called worse."

"What time is it?" Dora asked, sitting up in her bed slightly and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked to her Aunt, who was still wearing the same clothes she had been the previous night, "If I've been asleep for any less than seven hours _minimum_ , I'll kill you."

"I would like to see you try," Bellatrix scoffed, "you've been sleeping for . . ." she looked to the clock for a moment before shrugging and looking back to the girl, "it's one in the afternoon."

"Really?" Dora frowned, "Have you slept?"

"No," Bellatrix smirked, "I've been busy. Look at this."

Dora sighed as her Aunt threw a copy of the day's Daily Prophet on her lap, though as she unfolded it and looked at the front cover her eyes widened. The page was split into two parts, on the bottom half lay pictures of her fellow Death Eaters, the headline "Arrests at the Ministry" hanging above them as their faces stared back at her. They all held prison numbers in their hands, some such as Rodolphus glaring defiantly straight into the camera, Lucius was looking pathetic as ever with a bruised cut on his forehead, Barty simply looked bored, though Nymphadora couldn't help but notice a small look in his eyes that screamed both defiance and anger. She lingered on his photograph for a moment before she looked at what her Aunt had clearly meant to show her. There, taking up the entire top half of the page were two photographs. One of Bellatrix, a proud portrait with her usual haughty stare burning down the lens and Nymphadora, sat back on an armchair with a glass of wine in one hand as she cocked an eyebrow and smirked menacingly. The two photographs bore the heading the heading "WANTED AND DANGEROUS" in large bold letters and framed in their own wanted posters.

"They took this from the manor," Dora frowned, "that picture of me is from my birthday last year . . . They've put a picture of me drunk on the front of the Daily Prophet."

"Well, you don't look drunk, you look dangerous." Bellatrix said with a small laugh as she took the paper from the girl, "The descriptions beneath make me laugh, mine is pretty standard," Bellatrix cleared her throat before speaking in a mocking tone, " _Bellatrix Lestrange is a known Death Eater, murderer and highly dangerous, approach with extreme caution_ pretty standard," she shrugged, "and I suppose the thousand galleon reward is pretty reasonable. Your one, however," Bellatrix cleared her throat again, smirking at the girl as she regained her mocking tone, " _Nymphadora Tonks is a known Death Eater and highly dangerous, metamorphmagus (has the ability to change her appearance at will without the aid of spells or potions)_ , really, you'd think the Wizarding public morons." Bellatrix rolled her eyes before passing the paper back to her niece, "It says in here that the wizarding public are to set up security questions with everyone they know to ensure that it is not a Death Eater—most likely being yourself according to them—impersonating them."

"Yep," Dora nodded sarcastically, opening the paper and scanning the pages, "because I have nothing better to do . . . Aunt Bella?"

"Hmm?" Bella smirked as she looked down to see what Nymphadora was reading.

"It says here that they've searched my parent's house . . ."

Bellatrix laughed, "Oh, I wish I could have been there to see that. A useless task of course, but oh Andromeda would have been _so pleased_."

" _When asked for comment, Andromeda Tonks advised that she had not seen her daughter since disowning her at the age of sixteen. She then proceeded to threaten to curse our reporter should he not leave her alone,_ " Dora sighed, "Sounds like her."

"Yes," Bellatrix smirked, "I believe it also comments in there that the public is to be wary of any family of the wanted for the time being. Andromeda's become even more ostracized than she once was, though I'm sure poor Narcissa will be delighted to hear the public have been warned against her."

"Hmm . . ." Dora stared at the pictures within the paper, one of Andromeda Tonks looking ready to make good on her promise to curse the reporter with Ted standing behind her looking about ready to convince her to come inside, another of Narcissa Malfoy, looking as prim and proper as usual leaving the Ministry of Magic. "Where's Aunt Cissa?"

"In the Manor somewhere, I haven't ventured to find her yet," Bellatrix sighed, "I believe all relatives of us fugitives are hiding away at the moment. She may have gone to fetch Draco from school though, Merlin knows."

The two witches sat in silence for a few moments before Nymphadora put the paper to the side, looking to her Aunt as she felt a great need to change the subject. "Why are you still wearing what you were wearing last night?"

"Because I was busy," Bellatrix moved herself to sit on the end of the girl's bed, leaning against one of the four posters. "I went to see The Dark Lord, we had . . . things to tend to."

"Like what?" Dora asked curiously.

"Well, he told me a few things, like how he was impressed with you." Bellatrix grinned as the younger woman couldn't help but blush slightly. "You did very well, Nymphadora. I am impressed—proud even."

"It was luck," Dora shrugged, "you would have done the same."

"Perhaps I would have," Bellatrix mused, "though I would not have called it luck. I would call it intuition and skill."

"Of course," Dora smirked, "What else did you discuss, did he tell you . . ." Bellatrix nodded slightly, "Can you tell me?"

"I do not believe it was what The Dark Lord expected it to be," Bellatrix frowned as she remembered their conversation, "he knew only the part of the prophecy that dictated that Potter could cause problems for him . . . he needs to be the one to kill him, it can only be him."

"He wanted to be the one to kill him anyway, didn't he?" Dora sighed as Bellatrix nodded, trying to fight the feeling of frustration as she looked down. So much effort, so much planning and hard work resulting in Barty being imprisoned all to be told that nothing had changed.

"It is better for him to know than to have failed in the task, Nymphadora," Bellatrix said as she watched her niece almost knowingly, "Should you and I have escaped without the prophecy we would have taken the brunt of the punishment for everyone. Whereas now," a small smirk crept onto her lips as she leant forward to the girl, "now we receive praise and reward."

"What reward?" Dora crossed her arms as she looked at her Aunt.

"For you?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the girl, "Pet, you have proven yourself to be a loyal and extremely valuable warrior for his cause, just as I have always wanted you too. He will not forget that and you will see the benefits."

"And for you?" Nymphadora asked after a moment.

"For me?" Bellatrix smirked, "Well, that is between myself and The Dark Lord . . . for now."

"For now?" Dora asked, she knew only one 'reward' that The Dark Lord could easily give Bellatrix, she knew all about their relations and she was perfectly happy with that staying between the two of them.

"For now," Bellatrix nodded.

Nymphadora watched the woman curiously, letting her get off of the bed and walk over to kiss her head without question. The two woman looked into each other's eyes for a moment, Bellatrix giving the girl a wink and a devilish smirk before she turned and left the room without question. Nymphadora furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, trying to think over what her Aunt had said. She eventually sighed and gave up, reaching over for the newspaper and turning to the front cover again. She stared at the picture of Barty, chewing her lip as she felt the pain in her chest again, though she couldn't tear her eyes away from his photograph.

* * *

It had been nearly a week since the events of the Ministry and Nymphadora had so far decided that she did not want to leave the wing of the Manor that Bellatrix and Nymphadora currently resided in. The Aurors had already come and torn the place apart looking for them, something Bellatrix found highly amusing as she stood on the other side of the concealed entrance, wand drawn almost begging for them to find her and cause a fight. Dora had known that it was safe for her to leave the wing on multiple occasions now, even if she did run into a member of the ministry she could easily morph into someone else to disguise her appearance, but something had held her back. Though as the reality of being confined in one area had begun to make her itch Nymphadora soon found herself casting a spell to ensure that there were no visitors in the Manor and leaving the wing. Still, she walked quietly, looking each way as she slipped down the corridors in search of Narcissa. It didn't take her long to find her.

Narcissa Malfoy was sat in a plush armchair of one of the sitting rooms of Malfoy Manor, staring blankly into the unlit fire as she clutched a glass of wine in her hands. Nymphadora noted the nearly empty bottle beside her and sighed, she smiled slightly as Narcissa turned to look at her, she looked worn, her hair slightly dishevelled and her eyes slightly red as if she'd been crying. "Save some for me," Nymphadora joked half-heartedly, summoning a glass and picking up the bottle of wine, "good choice, one of my favourites."

"You shouldn't be wandering about, Nymphadora." Narcissa sighed, drinking the last dregs of her glass and holding it out to her niece who merely gave a huff of laughter and poured each of them a glass.

"There's no-one else here," Dora shrugged, moving to sit on one of the other armchairs, "besides, I've had no-one for company for the last week but Aunt Bella and she, well . . . I love her but . . ."

"She can be trying at times," Narcissa gave a knowing look to the girl, "I understand."

"Yeah . . ." Dora nodded, sipping her wine and looking into the empty fire, "are you expecting someone?"

"I wouldn't be so calm about your appearance in here if I was," Narcissa sighed, "there's no-one coming . . ."

Nymphadora looked at the older witch for a moment, taking in her clear sorrow before she carried on, "So why the fire watching?"

"I—" Narcissa hesitated, taking a large sip of her wine, "I don't know."

". . . You miss him, don't you?" Dora asked.

Narcissa looked down, it was as if an internal battle was going on within her; the side of her that had been taught for her entire life not to show emotion battling with the side that was suffering deeply at the loss of her husband. "He is my husband," Narcissa said finally.

"Yeah . . ." Dora swirled her wine around her glass slightly, "Aunt Bella doesn't seem to upset about Uncle Rod at the moment."

"Bellatrix is a different breed," Narcissa rolled her eyes, "even if she was missing him terribly to the point of wanting to bawl her eyes out and never wake up again you would never see it. She doesn't show real emotion often."

"I don't know," Dora smirked, "I've seen her pretty angry before, that's one hell of an emotional display coming from her."

"That's different," Narcissa said dismissively.

Dora gave a slight nod, taking another drink as she thought to herself, staring into the depths of her wine glass.

"What's the matter?" Narcissa eventually asked.

"Nothing," Dora shook her head.

"You know, Bella isn't the only one that is good at telling when people are lying to them," Narcissa gave a slightly sad smile to her niece, "What is it? You should be just as happy as Bellatrix right now, _you_ succeeded, got the Prophecy for The Dark Lord, got out of the Ministry and are not blamed for the 'failures' of others." Narcissa could not help but hide the tone of bitterness in her voice as she took another long sip of her wine.

"I—" Dora shook her head, "I'm happy that I succeeded, I suppose. But it's still not right that the rest got captured. I wouldn't have gotten out of there if I didn't have help . . . They should be here, not in that barbaric hell-hole. I—. . . Maybe I miss them." Dora looked up in surprise as Narcissa let out a short laugh, "What?" she asked.

"Who is it?" Narcissa smirked.

"I don't know what you—"

"You have always understood that you, or anyone working with you, could be arrested at any point, you understand that they will be released soon so you should have no worries about that and not be sad to see them gone for too long as you have no real connection to the most of them. You like Rodolphus, I know that you get along with him. You've never really spoken to Lucius much, though it's true you've also known him for a long time. Though the rest of them . . . I can't see any reason why you'd miss them too much, they're just your associates. Unless . . ." Narcissa trailed off, drinking the last of her wine.

"Unless what?" Dora frowned.

"Unless you've developed more than a friendship." Narcissa watched the girl as she scoffed, not missing the blush that she hurriedly morphed away, "Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong," Dora said without hesitation.

"Liar," Narcissa laughed.

"I am not," Dora lied.

"Okay," Narcissa shrugged in amusement, "you want to play that game, fine. Let's see . . ." Narcissa made a show of thinking for a moment, her niece having to stop and wonder exactly how much wine she had consumed before she had arrived, "The most of the men you do not associate with outside of your service, so that rules the likes of Jugson, Macnair, Rookwood, Nott . . . Crabbe . . . I've heard Dolohov make comments about you but I doubt you'd put up with his advances."

"Dolohov?" Dora wrinkled her nose and gagged, "Ew. Remind me to punch him when I see him again."

"Rabastan . . ." Narcissa watched the girl carefully for her reaction, "I don't think he would . . . You two work well together, so I hear, but no . . . There is one suspect though, makes sense, you've worked with him alone on numerous occasions, he is closer to your age than the rest . . ." Narcissa watched her niece, the younger woman's eyes darting away from her as she focused on draining her glass of wine. "So, how long have you had feelings for Barty?"

"I—" Dora sighed in defeat, "It's just sex."

"Well," Narcissa raised her eyebrows, "I was merely insinuating you had feelings for him, this is news."

"It's just sex . . ." Dora repeated somewhat unconvincingly.

"Do you think Bellatrix knows?"

Dora laughed, "No, she already threatened him when he moved into the Manor as to how he should not go near my room. She warned me off of him and I told her I'd listen to her."

"So, in other words, she knew exactly what you were doing—or suspected what you were about to do—and was giving you a chance to admit it or heed her warning," Narcissa said matter-of-factly.

"No— . . . She— . . . Shit, you're right, aren't you?" Dora abandoned her wine glass, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried not to think about it.

"I always am," Narcissa mused, ". . . Believe it or not, it is nearly exactly what we did with your mother."

Dora frowned, looking at her Aunt in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Narcissa sighed, "I suspected Andromeda was up to something, albeit a fair while after she had begun seeing the mudblood . . . I tried to confront her and she flat out denied it, of course. I was willing to ignore it, young and naïve as I was, but Bellatrix noticed I was worried about something and I told her my suspicions. She didn't so much as brutally confront her to start with, but she warned her that she had seen the way Tonks had looked at her and warned her to stay away from him, reminded her subtly—or as subtly as Bellatrix is capable of—of what would happen if she were to fall down that path . . ."

"Then what happened?" Dora couldn't help but ask.

Narcissa smiled sadly at the girl, considering her for a long moment before she sighed, "Well, you're here, so that goes something for showing that she didn't listen to us." Narcissa rolled her eyes, "She left over a year later, it was . . . not pleasant. But she was more than happy to go off with the mudblood and brand herself a blood traitor. Good riddance to her."

"Yeah . . ." Dora agreed.

"Don't distract me from my interrogation of you, Dora." Narcissa shook her head as she looked back at the girl with a slightly drunken smirk.

"What's your name, Bellatrix?" Dora laughed.

"No," Narcissa wrinkled her nose for a moment before she drew herself up in her seat and looked to her niece, "I have much more tact."

"True," Dora smirked.

"So . . . Do you love him?" Narcissa asked curiously.

"I—" Dora went to deny the fact, though the words caught in her throat and she couldn't do it. She tried not to squirm under the knowing glance of her Aunt for a long moment before she let out a breath, "I don't know . . . I care for him. All I know right now is that I hate the idea of him being in Azkaban. The minute I heard he was captured I felt like I could scream, I was relieved that they didn't give him the kiss but . . . I simultaneously want to murder the git for getting caught when _he promised_ when he told me to run that he would see me soon and . . ." Dora paused for a moment, looking down at her hands in her lap as she mumbled her words, "I want him back here."

Nymphadora cursed herself as she felt tears stinging at her eyes, threatening to spill and make a fool of her in front her Aunt. She was just considering making her excuses and running from the room when she felt the weight of her Aunt sitting on the arm of her chair and pulling her into her side. "They'll come back . . ." Narcissa sighed, stroking the girl's hair, "we just have to be patient . . . and if you still feel like murdering him for breaking his promise when he returns I'm sure Bellatrix will be more than happy to help you in the matter."

Dora let out a scoff of laughter as she swatted away the few treacherous tears that had escaped her. "She really is going to want to murder him, isn't she?"

"No," Narcissa sighed in amusement, "she just puts on a show because she's worried about you getting hurt. She knows that some men would, to put it bluntly, love to take advantage of a beautiful young woman who can be anything a man would desire."

"He's not like that," Dora shook her head as she rested into her Aunt's side, "It's _not just sex_ . . . You should have seen him when I got hurt, he was pretty much beside himself with worry and guilt."

"Well, maybe you need to talk to your Aunt Bella about such things," Narcissa suggested, "though, as I said, I think she must already know—or suspect at the least—what is going on between you two, you have been getting away with this under her roof after all. Not much gets past Bellatrix . . . if she thought he was truly ill-intentioned she would have done something about it by now; she's very protective of you if you hadn't already noticed."

"I've noticed." Dora sighed, pulling away from her Aunt and getting herself to her feet, she walked over to the mirror and made sure to arrange her face to get rid of all traces of her tears before turning back to the blonde witch. "I should get back to her . . . she seems content enough in her own way but . . ."

"She misses Rodolphus too, though she would never admit it," Narcissa agreed, "Though I wouldn't broach the matter with her unless you wish to get cursed."

"I wouldn't dare," Dora scoffed, walking up to Narcissa and kissing her cheek, "Thanks . . . Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Narcissa rolled her eyes dismissively, "I'm a Black, after all."

"Of course," Dora smiled, nodding to the witch before leaving the room to make her way back to her and Bella's wing.

Narcissa sighed, falling down into the girl's vacated armchair with little grace. She looked summoned another glass of wine and took another drink before staring up at the proud portrait of herself, Lucius and Draco hanging above the fireplace longingly. Narcissa Malfoy closed her eyes as tears escaped her eyes, trying not to think of when she would see her husband again nor what would happen to her family upon his return. She knew that Lord Voldemort had plans, knew that it involved her son in some way, though she dared not to think of the journey of what undoubtedly seemed to be nothing but pain and misery ahead of her.


	35. Emmeline Vance

She had been awoken from her nap by the burning sensation in her left arm. Dora groaned as she forced herself to sit upright, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and wiping the slight drool from her mouth.

"Shit." Dora sighed as she swung her legs from her bed, summoning her cloak and pulling on her boots.

She didn't bother with her mask, she was already a wanted woman and The Dark Lord had mentioned that the sight of a wanted criminal or two may do enough to strike some fear here and there. She had known that this task was coming, so thankfully she was already dressed the part, though her nap had only been an exercise to ensure that she was well rested for the evening's events. She had not meant to sleep for so long. She stepped into the hallway as she pulled on her cloak, waiting for a moment as she was sure her Aunt would soon follow her. But as another twinge coursed through her arm she knew that she could wait no longer and, a little confused, she left the protections of her wing and made her way down to what was now the meeting room.

"So nice of you to join us," Selwyn sneered as Nymphadora closed the heavy doors behind her, unable to help but flash a glare as Alecto sniggered from beside her brother.

"Is this it?" Dora asked, decidedly ignoring his remark, "Is it just the four of us?"

"Why?" Amycus raised an eyebrow, "Scared your Auntie isn't here to keep you safe?"

"I am more than capable of looking after myself, Amycus," Nymphadora hissed, "You're the one seemingly unable to go anywhere without your sister in tow, does she keep you safe? Or is it the other way around?"

"Silence," Selwyn growled as the siblings went to protest, Alecto reaching for her wand. "We have an important task to carry out."

"Do tell," Nymphadora smirked as she looked away from the glaring pair.

"Tonight is a mission to send a message," Selwyn said casually, though an air of excitement carried underneath his tone, "we have found the whereabouts of a member of The Order of the Phoenix, they are not as well protected as they think they are. We are to break down their measly protections and—after getting what information we can—kill them."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alecto grinned, "Let's go."

Selwyn rolled his eyes as if bored of the entire situation already. He quickly reeled off the address and the spot that they were to go to and without a second's notice he turned on the spot and left them to follow. Nymphadora quickly left, arriving mere inches from Selwyn she smirked and took a few paces back and looked around. They were in small wooded area, dim lights of houses clear in the distance she took a moment to take in the welcome light summer breeze. Two more sounds of apparation echoed behind her and she turned to raise an eyebrow at the Carrows.

"So nice of you to join us," Nymphadora teased, grinning when she was met with glares and turning only when Selwyn instructed them to move.

She was not naïve to the fact that she was not well loved by all of her comrades. A half-blood daughter of a blood traitor would hardly be a welcome sight to most blood puritans in most circumstances. Though she had her powers, her abilities special to only her, she also had Bellatrix. Her Aunt was forever the one to prove herself, to show up her comrades at the drop of a hat with both her own abilities and her strange relationship with their master. They were jealous, to a degree. She knew her fellow Death Eaters could not openly berate Bellatrix, could not make snide remarks to her face for fear of being submitted to her favourite curse, so they settled with open distaste of her 'little half-blood protégé'. She didn't care, she would prove to them that she was worthy of both the mark she bore and the special attentions of The Dark Lord's right-hand woman. She would wipe the smirks right off their faces, she had already done so with her little outing at the Ministry and was more than happy to do so again and again until she was just as feared and respected as her Aunt.

"Stop," hissed Selwyn, motioning to a small house at the end of the street, "this is primarily a wizarding neighbourhood, we need to enter without raising too many alarms."

"Shame," Amycus frowned, "I could have done some muggle baiting whilst in the area."

"We have one mission tonight, Amycus." Selwyn hissed, drawing his wand as they remained hidden in the shadows. "We need to act quickly, keep as hidden as possible as we surround the house and attack its wards from each side. They should crumble easily."

"What are we waiting for then?" Nymphadora smirked, though she waited for the small nod of the man beside her before she continued on to the house in question.

She decided she would bring up the front with Selwyn, allowing the two Carrows to stride around to the back of the building. She was almost waiting for a large attack, such as the last time she had been near an Order member's home, a twinge ran through her scarred back at the mere memory of the event. But this wouldn't be like that night, this was far more simple and far less likely to bring the attention of the woman's comrades or the Ministry until they had wanted it to. She smirked at the idea.

Within minutes the signal came to tear down the wards and with one swift motion she brought down her wand to slice through the invisible protections as if she were cutting through some coarse fabric. The wards fell, a light came on in the top front window and Nymphadora Tonks gave a devilish grin.

Knowing they had little time to get to her before she could call for help she ran forward, just behind Selwyn as she cast their own wards upon the perimeter to stop the woman escaping from their grasp. He tore the door down, barely paying much notice to the two Carrows as they reached them in the middle of the home. Nymphadora turned to her side, noticing the stairs, knowing where their victim lay. She ran to her like a hungry animal ready for its next meal.

The woman stood in her bedroom doorway, wand pointed directly at her ready to fight. She couldn't help but grin at her, the woman put on a good display of false bravery but she was not easily fooled, it was a show that soon faltered as she saw the other three come up behind her.

"Aw," Nymphadora tilted her head to the side, mocking the woman, "scared? I would be if I were you."

"You don't scare me," Emmeline Vance spoke firmly, despite the small quiver in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Alecto laughed, "Because you look scared enough to me."

"In fact," Dora smirked, "your hand is shaking, your eyes are a little wide and you're very much outnumbered right now. You look _terrified_."

"I warn you, I will call the Order and the Ministry here at a moment's notice!" Emmeline yelled, trying to sound strong-willed and unafraid but her voice cracked at the effort and the effect was lost.

"If you could have you would have by now," Selwyn said simply.

The lone woman stared at her assailants, unmoving for a few moments as if she was considering her options. Nymphadora watched her with a smug smirk, knowing that the witch was doomed and slightly amused that she would even try to think of a way out of her situation. Though after a few moments of silence the young witch sighed.

"I'm bored," She tightened her grip on her wand, moving forward as she was pleased to see the witch back away from her ever so slightly.

"Enough nonsense," Amycus drawled, throwing a curse at the woman almost casually.

It was enough to start the game. Emmeline immediately tried to deflect it, managing only to throw it slightly of course as Nymphadora had to jump to the side of the small corridor to avoid being hit. She growled, throwing spell after spell at the woman to force her further into the bedroom behind her. She grinned, not caring that her peers clearly found it amusing to see if she could deal with the woman on her own. She knew she could. It took barely minutes of duelling the witch but as it became clear that, although she could injure the woman (which was evident from the cuts and forming bruises on the woman's face and arms), she could not easily disarm her. She noted the curtains behind her, smirking as a quick silently cast Incendio caused them to burst into flame. Emmeline screamed, jumping out of the way to stop her robes catching alight and it was within that moment that Nymphadora found her advantage. In her momentary distraction she disarmed her with ease, catching her wand in one hand as with the other she quickly twisted ropes around the woman's body and laughed as she went crashing to the floor.

"Don't burn the place down whilst we're inside!" Amycus yelled as Selwyn and Alecto ran over to put out the flames.

"That's for after, no?" Nymphadora smirked as the struggling form of Emmeline Vance glared up at her, "Nice of you to step in and help though."

"You seemed perfectly capable, _Tonks_ ," Alecto said.

"You know," Nymphadora sighed, putting her boot on the struggling witch and rolling her onto her back, "I would almost take that as a compliment if you weren't such an intolerable, sarcastic bitch."

"You—!"

"Stop it," Selwyn hissed, storming over to the witch on the floor, "you know the drill, Miss Vance. Tell us information that is of use to us."

"Go to hell," Vance spat.

"No thank you," Nymphadora smirked, " _Crucio_ ,"

The witch squirmed on the floor, holding out for barely a second before a blood-curdling scream rebounded off of the four walls of the room. Nymphadora watched the woman writhing under her spell for a few moments before with a sigh, she released the curse. Emmeline panted for breath, feebly trying to pull her arms free from her bonds as her face remained scrunched up against the small jolts of pain still running through her as the curse's effects wore off.

"Information," Nymphadora said simply.

"What are Dumbledore's plans?" Alecto asked, with an air of slight boredom.

They knew that trying to get information from the woman was a useless task, she would remain silent on the topic as if her lips were sewn shut, but they had to ask. The woman looked up to glare at her captors. It was all too predictable.

"Maybe we should just drive her insane . . ." Dora mused.

"Can't come up with any original ideas, Nymphadora?" Amycus sniggered.

"It sends a message," Nymphadora hissed, shooting a glare at the man.

"If she does not speak, she dies," Selwyn said simply.

"I won't speak," Emmeline said from the floor, her voice admirably steady as she signed her own death warrant.

"Sounds fine by me," Alecto rolled her eyes, "let's kill the bitch quick so we can get out of here."

"Scared we're going to get caught out?" Nymphadora teased.

"She just has more sense than you, Nymphadora," Amycus smirked, "Don't be jealous."

"Enough!" Selwyn growled, "Stop squabbling like children and concentrate!"

A dry and quiet laugh sounded from the floor and Nymphadora furrowed her brows in annoyance at the woman.

"You're pathetic . . ." Emmeline said, "you won't win this war, you can barely keep your side together, you—"

The woman was cut off, her words turning into a yell of pain as Nymphadora swiped her wand across her and a large cut appeared on her side. "I'm taking credit for this death," Nymphadora hissed "when they find your corpse, they'll know it was me."

The others didn't argue, merely watching as she got to work. Mere minutes passed and Nymphadora Tonks did not need the killing curse to finish off her victim, though she used it for good measure. The mangled body of Emmeline Vance lay in a pool of her own blood, her bonds long torn apart from the force of the spells Nymphadora had used to destroy her. She stepped away from the witch, finally satisfied and amused to see that her fellow Death Eaters all had a mild look that let the witch know she had impressed them.

"And how," Selwyn was the first to eventually speak, "will they know it was you?"

Nymphadora smirked, pointing her wand at the witch's hair " _Crinus Muto_ ," she watched as the witch's hair turned a deep purple, "well, this might send the message. Maybe I'll make it my mark." Dora sighed satisfactorily and turned to the others with an innocent smile, "Well, speaking of marks, I'll let one of you do that shall I?"

Alecto grunted and left the room to cast the dark mark, the others following behind him as they went to leave the scene of their little task.

* * *

Nymphadora couldn't contain her residual excitement as she returned to Malfoy Manor, practically giggling with joy as she entered the wing that she shared with Bellatrix.

"You look happy," Narcissa commented, making the girl frown slightly as she was confused to see her in their particular section of her home, "dare I ask what you've been up to?"

"No," Dora shook her head, "probably best not to."

"I see," Narcissa nodded, walking past her and pausing briefly to the concealed exit to the wing, "maybe try not to excite your Aunt Bella tonight."

"Why?" Dora frowned.

"She . . . She is tired," Narcissa shook her head, saying no more as she left, leaving the girl even more perplexed at her appearance than she had been when she first saw her.

She didn't bother to heed her warning, knowing that no matter how tired her Aunt was that she would want to hear all about her outing and her successes. She knocked quickly on her door.

"I told you I'm fine, Cissa!" Bellatrix hissed from within the room.

"Um . . ." Dora bit her lip, "I'm not Aunt Cissa . . ." she put her hand on the door, waiting for her Aunt to let her in though she frowned as she was still greeted by silence, "Aunt Bella?"

". . . Come in," Bellatrix sighed from within.

Nymphadora entered the room slowly and carefully, frowning as she saw her Aunt laid on her bed. "I can come back . . . ?"

"No," Bellatrix shook her head, going to sit up though giving up after a moment and sighing as she settled for propping herself up on her pillows, "shut the door."

The young woman did as she was told, moving over to her Aunt and sitting herself cross-legged on the end of her bed as she leant back on one of the four posters. She couldn't help but ask her Aunt "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Bellatrix hissed, carrying on quickly as she saw her niece go to defend her line of questioning, "I think the house elf is trying to poison me, I just need to lay down for a bit. What did you want me for? Have you been out? I felt you leave the wards of the wing."

"Yes," Nymphadora let herself smirk slightly, a look that was quickly returned by her Aunt, "I went on a little adventure."

"Oh?" Bellatrix cocked an eyebrow in intrigue, "Do tell."

"Oh, we just went to some Order hags house," Dora said casually, giggling as she saw her Aunt smirk at her, she went on to explain the night in great detail. Telling her Aunt all about how the other Death Eaters had clearly thought her incapable and how she had proven them wrong by brutally murdering one of Dumbledore's own. "I think Selwyn was more than a little impressed. He said," Nymphadora scowled as she imitated the man, " _well done, I suppose_." She rolled her eyes with a smirk then looked back to her Aunt, "I can't wait for the papers tomorrow. You think they'll mention the fact I morphed her hair purple?"

"I would suppose so," Bellatrix said, "you're right in thinking that they will most likely take it as a mark of the girl who once ran around Hogwarts with purple hair. Knowing those idiots they'll probably try to pass off that mark as you working alone, less likely to scare than reporting on a group of Death Eaters raiding an 'innocent woman's' home and brutally murdering them. The Dark Lord will be pleased."

"You think?" Dora tried to hold back her grin to no avail.

"Yes," Bellatrix nodded, leaning her head back on her headboard and taking a deep breath before she continued, "it's nice to have individual Death Eaters that can terrify filth with their name alone, _like me_ ," she smirked slightly, "keep it up and you'll be just as feared."

Nymphadora smiled slightly at the thought, though as she watched her Aunt she couldn't help her concern bubbling up in the pit of her stomach again, "Aunt Bella—"

" _I'm fine_ ," Bellatrix said firmly, opening one of her eyes for a moment to look at the girl before she sighed. Closing her eyes she reached a hand out for her niece and pulled her down to lay beside her. She wrapped one arm around her, stroking Nymphadora's hair absentmindedly as the girl rested her head on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Nymphadora murmured, absentmindedly playing with a loose thread on her Aunt's dress as she rested into her.

"No reason . . ." Bellatrix said casually, "I just thought you would be missing a certain someone . . ."

"I—" Nymphadora bit her lip, not caring for her Aunt's skilful turn of the conversation as she tried to think of something to say, "Who?"

"Just a certain man currently residing in Azkaban," Bellatrix mused.

"You're trying to change the subject."

"So are you." Bellatrix laughed slightly, "I am your Aunt, I'm allowed to divert conversations should I wish to."

". . . Aunt Cissa talked to you, didn't she?" Nymphadora sighed.

"You spoke to Narcissa about him?" Bellatrix looked down at the girl curiously, moving her hand underneath her chin to gently goad her to look up at her. She frowned as the girl looked up at her with her wide dark eyes, "What happened to the days when you would tell me _all_ of your secrets, Dora? You would share everything with me . . . You can come to me with these things . . ."

"I was worried you'd hurt him," Nymphadora said truthfully, "you were quite stern with him to stay away from me."

Bellatrix let out a breath, pressing the girls head into her shoulder again. She lay in silence for a few moments before she quietly spoke again, "Is he good to you?"

"Yes," Dora said without hesitation.

"You don't believe he would hurt you?"

"No."

"Do you love him?"

". . . Maybe," Nymphadora said carefully.

". . . Be careful, Nymphadora," Bellatrix sighed, "He is not necessarily mentally stable and I do not wish for him to hurt you."

"He wouldn't," Dora said quickly.

"Well then . . ." Bellatrix said, "I cannot stop you from continuing this . . . relationship. Just heed my warning and know you can—and _must_ —come to me should anything happen. Understood?"

"Yes, Aunt Bellatrix," Nymphadora said, closing her eyes as she let herself relax in her Aunt's embrace.

"Good . . ." Bellatrix murmured, "now shush. I am tired and you seem to be too."

Nymphadora couldn't help but agree, the night's events had taken it out of her and her earlier nap was not satisfactory. For now she was merely grateful that her Aunt had not pitched a fit at the news of her and Barty's relationship and decided not to press further into her own state of wellbeing. Though she was sure to make a mental note to pick up on that topic as soon as was appropriate, something was wrong with her Aunt and she was doubtful of the excuse of the house elf trying to poison her.


	36. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I very almost got this story up to date last night and then with two chapters to go the site went down, typically. Let's try this again.

Nymphadora was sat in another meeting with the inner circle, listening carefully to her master as best as she could, though she could not help but be distracted by her Aunt. The woman sat opposite her, leant forward as per usual as she hung on to every last word that came out of Lord Voldemort's thin lips. She barely smirked in acknowledgement as he mentioned the successes of the previous weeks (it seemed that Nymphadora's little group were not the only people to go out to send a message), instead, her eyelids drooped and she rested her chin on her hand as she tried to concentrate.

"Bellatrix," Voldemort spoke firmly, causing the woman to jump slightly and sit up straight from her drowsy state, "are we boring you?"

"N-No, My Lord," Bellatrix said quickly, "You could _never_ —I—I'm sorry, My Lord. I—"

"Enough," Voldemort raised a hand, his servant bowing her head to avert her gaze to the table taking on an appearance almost like a wounded puppy. "Continue, Gibbon."

The young Metamorphmagus frowned, there was something wrong with her Aunt and this was not the first sign. Her Aunt had kept to herself a lot more recently, hiding away in her room and not answering her niece's calls for her. The times that she would be around she would either suddenly run from the room without warning as if she were being summoned or be unnaturally affectionate to her. She had fallen asleep in her Aunt's bed, and she hers, more than once. She had tried to breach the subject of her Aunt's strange behaviour more than once but had only been met by snappy retorts or a quick change of subject, she was determined to get to the bottom of this and decided she would corner her Aunt after the meeting.

Therefore, as the meeting ended Nymphadora Tonks purposefully waited for her Aunt to stand before she went to move, she walked to the other side of the table smiling at her and gesturing for her to leave with her.

"Nymphadora . . ." Lord Voldemort said, not once taking his eyes off of Bellatrix.

"Yes, My Lord?" Dora responded, trying not to show the slight shock and confusion of her master calling for her.

" _Leave_ . . ." Voldemort looked at her for the briefest of moments before he looked back to Bella, "I have things I wish to discuss with your Aunt."

"I—" Dora nodded her head, "Of course, My Lord."

She left the room, slightly annoyed that her plan to corner her Aunt after the meeting had been foiled and that she was little closer to finding out what the hell was going on with the woman. She closed the doors to the room behind her, sighing and deciding to wait outside until with a small yelp of surprise she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see her Aunt Narcissa looking straight at her, a slightly expectant expression mixed with one of what could only be described as undertones of fear. It was no secret that Narcissa Malfoy lived most of her life in fear of everything nowadays. Fear for her son, fear for her husband in Azkaban, fear of the repercussions of having The Dark Lord and his seemingly ever-growing army using her home as a near enough base camp for their illegal activities.

"What?" was all that Dora could think to say, rolling her eyes when her Aunt winced slightly at her sharp tone, "Sorry, what can I do for you, Aunt Cissa?"

"Where's your Aunt Bella?" Narcissa asked.

"Talking to The Dark Lord . . ." Nymphadora said, narrowing her eyes after a moment "You know what's wrong with her, don't you?"

"I—" Narcissa looked to the door behind the girl before with a sigh she took her niece's arm and led her away from the room, "You should not be seen to be dwelling at doors, Nymphadora. Especially when your Aunt is with The Dark Lord on the other side. They'll suspect that you're up to something."

Nymphadora pulled her arm away from her Aunt as they reached the other end of the corridor, "I am up to something," Dora hissed, becoming increasingly frustrated with the notion that something was being purposely hidden from her, "I'm trying to find out what the hell is wrong with Aunt Bella."

"She's fine," Narcissa insisted, "you have no grounds to attempt to listen to her private conversations, she will not thank you for it."

"Tell me what's wrong with her," Dora insisted, "you know what's wrong with her, I can tell. What has she told you?"

"She hasn't told me anything, it does not take a genius to figure it out," Narcissa said, curling her lip slightly "and you are in no position to be demanding information from me if she had. She is my sister and if she wishes to confide in me she will privately."

"But she hasn't?" Dora raised an eyebrow, sighing and leaning against the wall when her Aunt shook her head. "Aunt Cissa . . . I'm worried about her."

"You don't need to be," Narcissa said, her tone softening slightly.

"But I am!" Dora insisted, "She's not herself, there's something wrong with her and I know it. Narcissa, if you even think you know what's wrong with her please tell me. I—I know she's your sister and everything but she's my Aunt—More than that. She's taken on the role of my best friend and a mother figure since I was nearly ten years old so forgive me if I worry about her when she's not acting herself. I have every right to know what's going on with her."

Narcissa Malfoy pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. She knew her sister had acted as her niece's mother figure and best friend for years, though she wondered if Nymphadora would ever know why she had done that; it was not out of love or affection, it was for greed and personal gain. Nevertheless, it was undeniable that Nymphadora cared greatly for her Aunt and that, perhaps less visibly in truth, Bellatrix now cared for her in return. The whole situation was too much to ponder over what with her other various stresses at this moment in time.

"Aunt Cissa . . . Please?" Nymphadora spoke quietly, pulling her Aunt from her thoughts.

The older woman took a deep breath, composing herself before she looked back to her niece, "Listen to me, she will tell you if she wants to—she won't admit anything to me at the moment. But for Merlin's sake _do not_ press her for an answer and do not broach the subject unless she brings it up first . . . For all I know, I could be wrong, she could be fine . . . she may just be missing Rodolphus."

"I don't think that's likely . . ." Dora said quietly, "she's too distracted with The Dark Lord . . ."

"She misses him," Narcissa sighed, "she just doesn't show emotion easily, you should know that."

"I suppose . . ."

"Go back to your room, Dora." Narcissa smiled slightly at the girl, "If she wants you she will find you."

Dora watched her Aunt for a moment, part of her determined to argue the fact that she wouldn't find her and that she still had to know, but she knew her Aunt was right. She knew that Bellatrix Lestrange wouldn't talk about anything that she did not want to talk about. So she gave a small nod, forcing a smile when her Aunt reassuringly squeezed her arm and walked off to her room. She made sure to leave her bedroom door open as she went to lay on her bed with a book, knowing that when her Aunt returned to the ward she would have no choice but to walk past her own room. It was hours before the entrance to the wing opened again. Though just as Nymphadora looked up to the doorway she saw her Aunt near enough run past her room, a strange expression on her face. Nymphadora considered getting up to see what was wrong, to see if she could help her Aunt, though Narcissa's words were ringing in her head. Bellatrix would only divulge information that she wanted to divulge and if she had any chance of figuring out what was going on it was not going to be by cornering Bellatrix and forcing the information out of her.

* * *

It was October 1996 and nearing Halloween. Halloween had always been one of Dora's favourite holidays growing up, watching the pumpkins and festive decorations going up around school, the endless amounts of sweets when she was a young child, the funny Muggle traditions of trick or treating that her father had introduced her to one year (only to have her morph her hair pink in front of a muggle neighbour resulting in her being dragged away with yells of "special effects" and firmly stamping out the one muggle traditions Ted Tonks had tried to introduce to his family). She had spent the years since she had lived with her Aunt Bellatrix and Uncle Rodolphus learning it was more of a time to be avoided, to not talk to her Aunt as she locked herself away with a fresh frantic burst of research to find their master, though with The Dark Lord back these strange moods disappeared eventually. Nymphadora Tonks found it slightly sad that she could not celebrate this holiday to its full potential now that she was a wanted criminal (and, as Aunt Cissa had pointed out, not a child). Still, she woke up a few mornings before the holidays with a small determination to celebrate the holiday at least slightly, she was bored and lacking for things to do as it was. Nymphadora was sat on her bed contemplating summoning a pumpkin to carve when she heard the quick opening of her Aunts door, only to hear the slamming of the bathroom door moments later.

Nymphadora frowned, grabbing her wand and cautiously getting up from her bed as she left her room. She walked over to the bathroom door, biting her lip in thought for a few moments before she gently knocked on the door.

"Aunt Bella?" Dora asked carefully, though there was no reply. She sighed, used to her Aunt ignoring her at times now as she decided to simply stand back and wait for some sort of answer. She could not hear any noise from within, sure that her Aunt had cast a silencing spell on the door and it was nearing five minutes of her standing there waiting until her Aunt eventually opened the door.

Bellatrix Lestrange looked decidedly different. Her skin was slightly paler, her hair more dishevelled than usual and instead of the expensive dresses or even nightgowns she usually wore she had an oversized dressing gown wrapped loosely around her.

"Are you okay?" it was all Nymphadora could think to ask, and apparently a stupid thing to ask from the slight huff of amusement from her Aunt Bellatrix.

"Peachy." Bellatrix said sarcastically, going to walk past her niece before she turned and frowned.

The younger witch had grabbed her arm and she frowned for a moment before raising an eyebrow at the girl, "Yes?"

"I—" Dora hesitated for a moment before she let go of her arm, "Are—You—I'm worried about you."

"Don't," Bellatrix said simply, "there's no need."

"But I do," Dora argued, "and I will."

Bellatrix inspected the girl for a moment as if considering something in her mind, and all Nymphadora could think to do was to remain as silent as still as possible in hopes that Bellatrix would say something to tell her what was going on with her. It was almost like standing perfectly still as to not to scare some wild animal when it came to getting emotions out of Bellatrix Lestrange, she had to be given the chance to decide if she would confide in her—no sudden movements.

Eventually, Bellatrix sighed, looking down the empty corridor for a moment or two before she walked off to her room, nodding for the girl to follow her. "Come on . . ."

Nymphadora didn't hesitate, hurrying to follow her Aunt so much so that she almost tripped over her own two feet rushing into her room ahead of her as gestured and had to grab on to one of the posters of her bed to stop her tripping. Dora turned to the sound of her Aunt scoffing in amusement before closing the door behind them. Bellatrix hesitated for a moment before pointing to her bed, her niece obliging and sitting down.

"You should tame your clumsiness a little, Dora," Bellatrix said casually, walking over to her wardrobe and looking through her dresses, "Cissa did offer to give you etiquette lessons once, do you remember?"

"Yes," Dora said, "you told her not to be ridiculous and that it wasn't needed as long as I didn't fall flat on my face in a duel."

"Which you don't tend to do through clumsiness," Bellatrix smirked, pulling out one of her few dresses that did not have a corset and setting it down on the chair to her dressing table.

"No . . ." Dora agreed, looking to her Aunt again as she stared down at her with the same look as if she were considering something in her mind, "Aunt Bella?"

"Hmm?" Bella hummed absentmindedly.

"Are you okay?" Dora asked.

"Yes," Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh slightly, "more than okay, in fact."

"You've been acting differently . . ." Dora said cautiously.

"So would you in my situation," Bellatrix shrugged, watching her niece as she frowned in confusion, "If I tell you what is going on will you keep it secret?"

"Yes," Dora said without any hesitation, desperate to know what her Aunt had been keeping from her.

"Swear it?" Bellatrix insisted, walking over to her niece, "You cannot tell anybody unless explicitly told that you can do so. I am only telling you as I have been permitted to do so."

"Aunt Bella—"

" _Swear it_ ," Bellatrix said more firmly.

"I swear it," Nymphadora said, starting to become slightly frightened at her Aunt's tone now.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the girl, considering if she could be trusted for a moment before she sighed and took off her dressing gown. Nymphadora frowned for a moment as her Aunt stayed silently staring at her, that was when she lowered her eyes to the woman's night dress. The silk fabric was decidedly tight as it stretched over the smallest bump on her stomach. If it were anyone else she would have been forgiven for thinking she had simply put on a little weight, but Bellatrix Lestrange had always somehow maintained the smallest of figures and there was no denying the fact that the rounded amount on her stomach was not simply fat.

"I—" Dora stammered, standing up from the bed as she forced herself to stop staring at her Aunt's stomach, "is that . . . ?"

". . . A baby," Bellatrix gave a small nod, reaching her hand to rest on her stomach as she let herself smile slightly before looking back to her niece.

"H-How far along are you?" Dora asked.

"A little over four months . . ." Bellatrix watched her niece carefully as she spoke.

"But Uncle Rod is . . ." Nymphadora shook her head, "Did you . . . _conceive_ it the day he . . . ?"

Nymphadora was confused as her Aunt let out a small laugh, "It is not Rod's child, Nymphadora."

"But—" her eyes widened as she put two and two together, she knew the only other man she had ever known her Aunt to sleep with. But it couldn't be. That was merely a—well, she didn't know what sort of relationship her Aunt had with her master to be perfectly honest, she had never wanted to delve into that topic with her and had merely just accepted the knowledge that it happened. But she was sure it was not the sort of relationship to want to produce a child together. Well, at least she _had_ thought it wasn't.

"It's _his_?" she asked incredulously. Bellatrix gave a slight nod again, smirking when the girl fell back to sit on the bed in disbelief. "No . . ."

"No?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, "What is wrong with me having The Dark Lord's child?"

"Nothing!" Dora said quickly, shaking her head and looking up at her Aunt "I just—It's just—I—It's a bit of a shock."

"It was to me as well," Bellatrix laughed, turning to look at her floor length mirror and inspecting her small bump, "but The Dark Lord has given me a gift beyond my wildest dreams, Nymphadora. He wishes for me to carry and raise his child, to raise a great warrior for his cause—a witch to be feared by her name alone."

"I-It's a girl?" Dora asked dumbly.

"Yes, it is . . ." Bellatrix smirked, "a little girl . . . I thought The Dark Lord would be displeased when he found out, I thought he would only want a male heir, as most men do. But he did not care, it seems his best warriors are female anyway, Nymphadora." Bellatrix winked at the girl, laughing again at the girls blankly shocked expression. "What, Dora?"

"Huh?" Dora shook her head to clear her mind, forcing herself to stand up so she could at least seem to be in control of her shocked state, "Nothing . . . I just . . . It doesn't seem real, not really."

"Well, it is," Bellatrix grinned as she turned to her niece.

"Why didn't you tell me . . . ?" Dora asked.

"Well," Bellatrix sighed, "the Dark Lord did not want me to tell _anybody_ until very recently. Though you share living quarters with me and it will not be easy to hide for much longer. I mean, yes, there are charms and concealments that I can use when needed. But a bump is easier to hide than a child and he thought it was best to let some people know."

"Does Aunt Cissa know?" Dora asked.

"No," Bellatrix chewed her lip for a moment before shrugging, "I'll tell her later on, I will need her eventually."

"What for?"

"Well," Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, "unless I'm forgetting something you have never birthed a child and it is not something that you tend to be able to safely do alone. Narcissa will have to help me, she has experience on the matter after all."

"Oh . . ." Nymphadora crossed her arms, trying to stop herself staring so dumbly at her Aunt, "But, Aunt Bella?" she waited for the woman to hum in acknowledgement before she carried on, "What about Uncle Rod?"

Bellatrix seemed to take on a slightly defensive stance upon this question, making the girl wish she had shut her mouth. "What about him?" she near enough spat.

"He . . . Well . . ." Dora rubbed her neck, struggling to find the words she wanted, "He is your husband . . . and you don't have any children together . . . won't he be . . . upset?"

"Perhaps . . ." Bellatrix mused before a fiery passion suddenly lit behind her eyes as she carried on, "but he should be proud of me, he should not care that this is not his child for this child is so much better. This is _The Dark Lords child_ , Nymphadora, do you not understand how important that is? How I have been _honoured_ with such a task? Do you not agree that that is more important than anything Rodolphus could have to say or do on the matter?"

"I do . . ." Dora said though she was not sure Rodolphus would think the same way. She had heard him, on a rare occasion when he did not realise that she was listening, mentioning children to his wife and knew that Bellatrix was adamantly against the idea with only eyes for finding and then serving her master.

"He should be honoured to have his wife carry The Dark Lord's child . . . I will speak to him when he returns . . ." Bellatrix mused, "he should not be gone for much longer." The woman smirked as Nymphadora perked up at this information.

"Th-They're getting out?" Dora asked, a familiar sensation coming back to her at the thought of Barty Crouch and the rest of her comrades being freed from Azkaban, "When?"

"Soon," Bellatrix said simply.

"I thought they would be away for longer . . ." Dora thought aloud.

"Well, we hardly failed in The Dark Lord's task, did we?" Bellatrix smirked, "It was Malfoy's fault they got arrested, that much is very clear from the fact that if he had let me Accio the prophecy or hurt the boy for it sooner then we may have gotten out of there sooner . . . They'll be home soon, Dora. Not much longer now . . . Though I would suggest you not go telling Barty about this," she gestured to her stomach, "it is best if as few people as possible know and at the moment Barty Crouch Jr finding out is not something that is necessary."

"I said I would keep it a secret and I will," Dora nodded, watching her Aunt as she nodded back to her then went to inspect the dress she had pulled out from the wardrobe, "you'll need new clothes." She laughed "Why don't you ask Narcissa if she has any old maternity robes left?"

"Merlin no," Bellatrix wrinkled her nose, "I would rather walk the manor naked than wear some of those awful monstrosities. You should have seen them, all pale blues, flowers and the most ridiculous patterns you could dare to imagine."

"I see, I know you don't like wearing colours," Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly, "I'll morph and go shopping for you one day in the week."

Bellatrix considered this for a moment before nodding, "Fine, just—be careful."

"You're growing soft with your hormones—"

"I am not!" Bellatrix snapped.

"Okay," Nymphadora suppressed a smirk, "you're not."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Go, I need to get dressed and find Narcissa."

Dora nodded, taking one last look at her Aunt before leaving the room. She couldn't help the fact that her mind was now reeling with what she had seen and learned. Not only was her Aunt pregnant with The Dark Lord's child, Barty may soon be returning and Bellatrix knew what they were up to now. Though out of everything she had just discovered she could not help but think of her Uncle. She was sure, despite what her Aunt insisted, that Rodolphus would not be happy for his wife for getting pregnant with another man's child—no matter who the father happened to be. Sure, he would probably hide his displeasure at the news as much as possible but that wouldn't stop the news from being upsetting to him. Nymphadora sighed as she went back to her room and lay on the bed, feeling deeply sorry for Rodolphus Lestrange.


	37. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now this story is up to date with the other site I use I will attempt to update this story every Sunday, as I do on the other site. I hope you enjoy and please do let me know what you think :)

Christmas was hardly a celebrated holiday in 1996. Narcissa Malfoy could not bring herself to celebrate the holiday to its full potential, with her husband still in Azkaban and her constant worry over her son seemingly making her find what little comfort she could in the bottom of her wine glass, she was not exactly a joy to be around. Bellatrix Lestrange mainly hid in her room, not wanting her nephew to find out about her pregnancy and with her being a little over 6 months gone at this point it was becoming harder to hide (she did not like the wards she could put on herself to hide the child, deeming them uncomfortable and irritating), she only made the effort to join the rest of her family on Christmas day, when Nymphadora swore she ate the most she had ever seen her eat in her life. Draco Malfoy was troubled by the same worries of his mother, his pale stature seen moping around the manor on a rare occasion and seemingly avoiding going anywhere near any of his Death Eater relatives for fear of being questioned on how he was doing with his task. Nymphadora Tonks seemed to be the only one that was upset by the barely celebrated passing of the holiday, though she received just as many presents as usual, though the cheer of the season (whether it be forced on occasion or not) was decidedly lacking.

Though Dora understood, what with so much on people's minds a simple holiday such as Christmas was clearly insignificant in the grand scale of things. It was only when the school holidays were drawing to an end that Nymphadora decided enough was enough. She could accept the reasoning's of her Aunt Bella's absence from the usual cheer, even almost understand her Aunt Cissa's absence as well, but Draco was still a child and she would be damned if she would let the poor boy mope all of his Christmas break.

It was two days before the boy was due to return to Hogwarts when Nymphadora knocked on the bedroom door of Draco Malfoy.

"Who is it?" came the sharp, slightly worried sounding voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Me," Dora said, "Dora."

". . . What do you want?" his voice was careful, as if convinced the woman had come to see him with some deep-set personal vindictive motive to disturb his peace.

"Nothing," Dora rolled her eyes, "well, apart from to talk to you— _obviously_ . . . Can I come in? I promise I'm not going to hex you or do whatever terrifying thing is clearly racing through your mind at the moment."

There was silence for a few moments as the boy clearly considered his cousin, then the click of the lock of the door sounded and Nymphadora couldn't help but smile slightly as she let herself into the boy's room. It was quite a large room, elegantly decorated with pale walls, the odd portrait of the boy with various family and friends hanging on the walls or on the dressers and a large Slytherin Quidditch banner hanging above his bed. Dora closed the door behind her as she looked around the room, smiling slightly as she saw the photograph of herself and Draco at the Quidditch World Cup, the whole event seemed like it was a century ago, so much ahd changed sicne then.

"What happened to all the Quidditch posters?" Dora mused, turning her head to the boy currently sat at his desk watching her.

"They were childish," Draco said, "I got rid of those years ago."

"I suppose I haven't been in your room in a while," Dora sighed, "when was the last time? The last time I can remember is when you were getting ready to leave for Hogwarts for the first time . . . surely it can't have been that long ago? Maybe it was the time we played Gobstones—no, wait, that was before that. Surely I've—"

" _Dora_ ," Draco said, interrupting the woman from her ramblings. He waited for her to look at him before he sighed, "how can I help you?"

" _Help me_?" Dora smirked, walking over to the boys desk and resting on the edge of it, "I don't need help—Don't give me that look, I know what sort of joke you want to make about me needing help, I've not lost my marbles yet boy."

"Well," Draco rolled his eyes, "you clearly wanted something or you would not have come here."

"Can I not see my little cousin with the pure intention of just wanting to see how he is?" Dora raised an eyebrow, the boy returning the look for a few silent moments before the witch let out a sigh, "I'm worried about you."

"I am perfectly capable of—!"

"Did I say you weren't?" Dora asked, "I'm not here to talk about . . . _work_."

Draco looked at his cousin questionably for a moment, as if he was not willing to accept this fact until he eventually leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Then what?"

"Draco . . ." Dora hesitated for a moment before she jumped up to sit on the boys desk (decidedly ignoring the scoff of amusement from her cousin as she missed on the first try and almost fell flat on her ass) she crossed one leg over the other and peered down at the boy for a moment before her gaze softened slightly. "How's school?"

"Fine." Draco said quickly.

Dora chewed her lip for a moment, considering the boy, "You're hiding something from me . . ."

"Stop trying to read my mind," Draco hissed, looking away from the girl, "Aunt Bella taught me how to stop that."

"Draco," Dora sighed, "I do not have to use legilimency on you to figure out you're hiding something. Besides, you seem to forget that I helped you learn too. I know you're decent enough at Occlumency to block me out."

"I'm fine," Draco said.

"Draco—"

" _I'm fine_ ," Draco said again, more firmly this time.

Dora peered down at the boy, knowing he was lying to her though wondering if it was worth pressing the matter. Eventually, she shook her head and sighed, jumping off of the desk, "Fine, I'll be in my room if you want me."

She walked over to the door, putting her hand on the handle and going to leave until she heard the boy call her name, it was soft and quiet and she almost thought she had imagined it until she turned to see the boy stood up and staring at her. "Yes?"

Draco stayed silent for a moment as if wrestling with his own mind as to if it was a good idea to trust his cousin or not. He must have decided that he could, as he eventually opened his mouth again, "Why did you become a Death Eater?"

"Because I wanted to," Nymphadora said without hesitation.

"Because you wanted to?" Draco asked, sighing as the woman nodded "Not because of Aunt Bellatrix?"

"What do you mean?" Dora frowned.

"Nothing, forget I said anything," Draco shook his head, going to turn his back on the woman before she walked over to him again. He looked alarmed for a moment, as if scared she would berate or even hex him, though she merely gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I won't," Dora spoke softly, "I also won't repeat what you say to me outside of this room."

". . . Swear it?" Draco asked hesitantly.

"Well, I don't make a point of making unbreakable vows or anything like that," Dora laughed, "but yeah, I promise."

"I . . . Aunt Bellatrix wanted you to be a Death Eater too," Draco said, "she wouldn't have been happy if you weren't a Death Eater . . . Did you join because you wanted to? Or was it because . . ."

Draco didn't need to finish his sentence, Nymphadora understood what he was trying to get at. "Draco, I _know_ that this isn't exactly what you wanted—don't argue," Dora smiled knowingly as he went to speak, "it's a fact, not something that is open for debate. Sometimes we do what we have to, for our family, for a greater cause, for fame and glory or any other million reasons that you could think of. But, whether you wanted to become a Death Eater or not, I have no doubt that you have the potential to serve The Dark Lord well . . . and yes, Aunt Bella probably wouldn't have been overjoyed if I turned around and said that I didn't want to be a Death Eater. But I wasn't born into this life, I could have sat at home and done nothing for either side of this war . . . I wasn't there though, Aunt Bella has done a lot for me, but I never felt forced to join The Dark Lord. Though I wasn't naive to the fact that I would probably end up where I am now if I left my parents. I chose this."

Draco paused for a moment, taking in what the witch had just said until he eventually gave a small nod. Dora reached out, squeezing his shoulder in silent understanding. "I mean it by the way; I'll be in my room if you want me—and you are more than welcome to talk to me whenever you want to. Write to me."

"I can't exactly write to a wanted criminal, can I?" Draco raised an eyebrow, "And these are hardly the discussions you have via owl."

Dora laughed, "You're right . . . I tell you what, address it to your mum. Write in blue ink and I'll know it's for me. Your Mum won't see it, between me and you Aunt Bella's been getting a little bored—and maybe a little paranoid—she's been intercepting every owl into this manor for months. Trust me when I say I'll get it before Aunt Cissa does. And as for the topics . . . I'm sure you're smart enough to know how to write in code."

Draco nodded slightly, though looked unsure, "Thanks . . ."

"You're welcome," Dora said, letting go of the boy and going to leave the room again, "talk soon."

She left the boy to his own devices, trying not to worry about the clearly troubled child too much as she made her way back to her room. It was just as she entered the secret entrance to her wing that she immediately jumped in fright.

"Shit!" Dora swore as she pulled her arm out of her Aunt's grip, apparently the woman had been waiting on the other side to grab her. "What the hell—What's wrong?"

Bellatrix Lestrange looked worried, her eyes wide as she shook her head and wrapped her arms around her rounded stomach.

"Aunt Bella," Dora put a hand on the witches arm, growing more concerned by the second, "Is it the baby?"

"No," Bellatrix breathed.

"Then what?" Dora asked, "You look like someone's just died—okay, you look like someone's just died and you're not the cause of death nor happy about it for once."

"No," Bellatrix shook her head, taking the hand that Dora had rested on her arm, "I—They're getting out."

"What?" Dora furrowed her brows in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"They're getting out!" Bellatrix yelled, causing her niece to jump back in fright, "The boys! Rodolphus! They're getting out!"

Nymphadora's jaw dropped slightly, it was as if the breath had been knocked out of her as she stared at her Aunt in shock. She knew why her Aunt would behave this way, she had been extremely hormonal recently and from their last conversation on the topic she had made it clear that she was not looking forward to confronting her husband about her illegitimate unborn child. Though Nymphadora could only think of one thing—of one _person_ ; Barty. Though she did not want to admit it, her heart raced and her head pounded at the thought.

"When?" She breathed.

"Tonight."

* * *

"Stop chewing your nails," Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

It was far past midnight now and the two women had decided to stay together to keep each other both awake and distracted, they had begun by playing chess as a distraction. Though that had soon been disregarded as Bella's pregnancy hormones reared their ugly head and she flipped the board when Nymphadora thwarted her long drawn out plan to beat her. They had since been simply trying to distract their selves as much as possible with forced and awkward conversation; there was clearly only one thing on both of their minds.

"Sorry," Dora mumbled, straightening herself up as she pushed herself away from the wall of her Aunt's bedroom.

"Nervous?" the older woman raised an eyebrow.

". . . No," Dora shook her head, "are you?"

"Why would I be nervous?" Bellatrix scoffed, adjusting her pillows as she sat back on her bed.

"I don't know you're about to see your husband for the first time in months and explain to him how you're pregnant with The Dark Lord's child," Dora shrugged, sitting on the edge of the woman's bed.

"I don't have to explain that to him," Bellatrix scoffed, "The Dark Lord is going to."

"You're not worried about how he'll react?" Dora frowned.

"You're not worried about seeing Barty for the first time in months and declaring your undying love for him?" Bellatrix smirked as the girl choked on air.

"What?" Dora said as she tried to compose herself, "Firstly, _no_. I will not be doing that—"

"Good, you can do better," Bellatrix shrugged, "personally—"

" _Secondly_ ," Nymphadora carried on firmly, "stop trying to change the subject."

"He has nothing to argue, Dora," Bellatrix said, "he can't."

Dora shook her head, she knew better than to argue this subject with her Aunt. If she tried to explain how a man may not be happy at his wife for getting pregnant with another man's child she would only get a lecture as to how it did not matter as it was The Dark Lord, if she tried to argue the point further then she would get a lecture about loyalty and duty. It wasn't worth trying to explain logic to the woman.

"Do you think they'll be okay getting out?" Dora asked, trying to change the subject herself this time.

"They'll be fine, we've done it once it's hardly difficult to do it again. I just wish I could go," Bellatrix pouted slightly.

"Yes, because running around an old wet, slippery, stone, dangerous prison when you're already slow on your reflexes due to looking like you have a small quaffle shoved up your dress seems like a wise idea."

"You are no fun recently," Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, sitting up again, "I am more than capable of—"

The witch paused, looking in the direction of the door. They had both felt it; the wards of the manor had admitted multiple people into its protections. Nymphadora stood, looking back to her Aunt for a moment before with a silent look of understanding she left the room. She strode from the ward, trying to still the nervous feeling in her stomach as she eventually stopped at the top of the main staircase, gripping onto the bannister as she waited.

The creek of the large doors opening echoed throughout the manor and Nymphadora ensured that the most emotionless mask she could muster was fixed firmly upon her features as the group walked in. They were all there, all that had fallen at the Ministry, some of the men helped along by their comrades that had been tasked with setting them free. One or two of them looked at her as they walked past to make their way to their master, all dishevelled and drained though some with great grins still plastered on their faces. She was distracted as her Uncle Rodolphus looked up at her for a moment, a small frown as if he were expecting to see Bellatrix to greet him. She was soon distracted as she met the gaze of Barty Crouch Jr though, his grin faltered for a moment and an unreadable expression came over him for the few moments their eyes were locked until they passed. She closed her eyes when they were out of sight, taking a deep breath before she decided to follow them.

The door to the ballroom closed behind them, Nymphadora catching the briefest of glances at her master waiting patiently for them before she was met by nothing but the solid wooden doors.

"Dora?" Narcissa Malfoy breathed as she rushed down the corridor, wrapped in her dressing gown, her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail and her eyes wide. She had never looked so _normal_ to her in her life.

"Aunt Cissa," Dora smiled slightly, walking away from the door and meeting her Aunt.

"Was that . . . ?" Narcissa's eyes widened further as the girl nodded, "Why did no-one tell me?"

"Surpise?" Dora shrugged, "I don't think Aunt Bella wanted you to worry." That was only a half truth, Bella had specifically told Dora that she hadn't told her other Aunt as she 'didn't want to deal with her insufferable frantic worry'. "Uncle Lucius is in there too . . ."

"He—" Narcissa brought her hand to her mouth, staring at the door.

"He looks okay," Dora said, "not half as bad as some of them."

"Oh." Was all the blonde witch could muster in terms of a response.

"Look, why don't you go . . . freshen up?" Dora shrugged, Narcissa wasn't helping her own nerves and truth be told she was starting to realise she couldn't blame Bella for not telling her sister they were coming.

"Right . . ." Narcissa nodded, "A-Are you staying?"

"Yes, the boys don't exactly all know where your little secret wing is, do they?"

"Right," Narcissa nodded again, she looked as if she were in a trance, barely listening to what her niece was saying. It was only when she caught sight of herself in one of the mirrors of the manor that she sighed and shook her head, rushing off to make herself look more presentable.

* * *

"You may leave," Voldemort said smoothly, stepping back from Lucius Malfoy after he had finished telling him how disappointed he was in his failure of the mission and how it would not be forgotten. The room began to move, some men disapparating with their newly reunited wands firmly in their hands, but Voldemort raised his hand as the Lestrange's tried to leave with Barty. "Rodolphus, stay . . . we have matters to discuss."

"Yes, My Lord," Rodolphus said obediently, not noticing nor caring for the look the two men exchanged behind him as they bowed and backed away.

"Do you think he's in trouble?" Rabastan murmured as they left the room together, closing the two doors firmly behind them.

"No," Both Barty and Rabastan jumped slightly at the voice, each grabbing their wands and turning to the source, "though it's lovely that you jump to that conclusion."

"Nymphadora," Rabastan said in acknowledgement, "come to take us to our new prison?"

"It's hardly a prison," Dora rolled her eyes, "but yes . . ."

She flickered her eyes to Barty for a moment, the man staring at her despite himself, before she began to walk in the direction of their new quarters nodding for them to follow her lead. Barty watched her intently, not paying attention to the man beside him at all as Nymphadora showed them how to get into the hidden wing. She waited for them to go ahead of her, and Barty made sure to let Rabastan go first. He paused, staring into the woman's dark eyes. She was unreadable, staring back at him as he frowned slightly. This was not at all what Barty Crouch had imagined his reunion with this woman to go, he had pictured it many ways as he sat in his Azkaban cell, but this was not anywhere near what he had imagined.

"Go on," Dora raised an eyebrow, gesturing for the man to go into the wing.

She followed in behind him, pointing to various rooms, "That's the main bathroom, that's my room, that's your room Rab, Barty that's yours and that's Aunt Bella and Uncle Rod's room—don't go in there, she's asleep."

"She's asleep?" Rabastan turned to give the woman a questioning look, "How the fuck is she asleep?"

"Well, it's closer to day break than midnight and people get tired, Rabastan," Dora said sarcastically.

"Bellatrix doesn't sleep with shit like this going on," Rabastan murmured.

"Well," Dora sighed, "if you want to see if I'm lying and go in there and face her wrath when you wake her up—or when she finds out you've been watching her sleep, which is creepy—feel free." She crossed her arms, silently daring the man to try it before he grunted and rolled his eyes, "That's what I thought—Go to sleep, I'm going to get Uncle Rod."

Barty went to say something, though the woman moved quickly and before he knew it she had disappeared out of the exit to the wing again.

"She's cheery," Rabastan scoffed, "I'm going to get a bath and _then_ I'll sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight . . ." Barty murmured, watching the man disappear into his room. He stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to decide where to go until without knowing why he went to the door that Nymphadora had pointed out to be her own room.

It wasn't quite as grand as her room at Lestrange Manor, though it was undeniably hers. There were a few photographs on her dresser, mainly of her and her Aunt Bella though there were some with Cissa, Draco and even Rodolphus included, her pyjama's from the night before were strewn across her dressing table chair, her bed sheets still the same as that she had had at Lestrange Manor. Barty smirked slightly as he thought of all the things that had happened within those sheets. He walked over to the bed, sitting down on its edge he hesitated for a moment before he took a pillow and gingerly brought it to his face. It smelt of her and he couldn't help but groan slightly. It had been so long.

* * *

Nymphadora wasn't sure what to expect from Rodolphus when he was done with The Dark Lord, but she wasn't looking forward to having to take him up to see Bellatrix on her own. She had been waiting outside of the room for at least ten minutes, she was sure that she had felt the Dark Lord leave the wards about five minutes ago but for the life of her, she could not bring herself to get the courage to open the door and get her Uncle. She left it for a few more minutes, then a few more, until she decided she couldn't wait any longer. With a deep breath she grasped onto the handle of the door and pushed. Rodolphus was standing at the window, staring out into the grounds not moving an inch even when the footsteps of Nymphadora walking towards him echoed off of the walls.

"Um . . ." Dora bit her lip, "Uncle Rod?"

Rodolphus turned his head slightly, hesitating for a moment before he looked to her. "Where's Bellatrix?"

"She's in her room—well, your room too," Dora said.

"Couldn't even be bothered to come meet me herself?" Rodolphus sneered.

"Well she's—" Dora stopped herself, not really wanting to say to her Uncle that her Aunt was too pregnant to go walking down to meet him with other people in the manor considering that she didn't enjoy hiding her pregnancy, "she's in bed—but she's waiting up for you."

". . . How is she?" Rodolphus asked.

"She's okay," Dora replied.

"I didn't mean her physical health," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, "Is she worried about what I will think? Scared even? No, I suppose not, I don't think that woman ever cares about anyone—not even her own husband."

"She does—"

"Don't lie to me, Nymphadora," Rodolphus glared at the girl, "Relationships aren't worth anything, not in this world."

"Well, I don't know, not all relationships are—"

"Not thinking of Barty, are we?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow.

"I—How do you know about Barty?" Dora asked, trying to not to show her shocked nerves on her features.

"He spoke to Rabastan about it, who in turn spoke to me about it," Rodolphus wrinkled his nose, "I thought you were better than that to be honest—despite what you are."

Dora narrowed her eyes slightly, trying not to get angry at the man despite his slight on her blood, "What did you hear?"

"That you're spreading your legs for Barty," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, smirking as Dora blushed furiously, "it's what he does, Nymphadora. He's done it since his Hogwarts days, gets some poor girl to trust him and think that he cares about them—but really he just uses them to satisfy his needs."

"He's not—"

"Then why does my brother know details of your sex life?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow.

"Probably because your brother is a pervert and got it out of him!" Dora snapped, glaring furiously as the man merely snickered at her.

"Yes, because Rabastan simply has to know that when Rabastan kisses your collar bone you—"

"Shut up," Dora hissed, she didn't want to hear her Uncle say that, not in a million years.

"He's just as bad as Bellatrix, Dora, he only cares about one thing and your feelings are not it." Rodolphus mused, walking over to the door to the ball room, "He's practically said so himself. Now," Rodolphus opened the door, turning to look at the woman "are you going to take me to see my _loving wife_ or not?"

* * *

"What are you doing?" Nymphadora hissed as she walked into her room and slammed the door behind her, the man was laid on the bed, one of her pillows grasped in his hands.

"I—" Barty began, sitting up.

"Get out," she glared at the man, grabbing the pillow and snatching it from him.

He frowned, confused as he stood up, "Not excited to see me?" the roots of the girl's hair tinged red and he knew he had his answer, "Nymphadora, what have I done to make you so mad at me? So _cold_? I thought you were just putting on a show in front of Rab . . ."

"I was," Dora said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Then why are you like this now?" Barty frowned, reaching a hand out to take the woman's arm though she jumped back away from his touch.

"Just leave," Dora said, pointing towards the door, "you don't give a shit about me, you just want sex and I'm not giving in to that tonight."

"Woah," Barty couldn't help but laugh slightly, something that only caused the girls hair to turn entirely red, "what idiot—What did Rod say to you when you brought him up here?"

"Only the truth!" Dora snapped, "You don't give a shit, you only use me and that's clearly the case because if you do care you're too much of a coward to even risk letting my Aunt find out about us—Which she knows now anyway! You sat braging to Rabastan about our sex life!"

"Dora, don't listen to him—if he's in a bad mood for whatever reason he will do anything to put the nearest person in as foul a mood as him. As far as Rab goes he found out and he—it was just guy talk, I didn't tell him anything personal. Just don't liste to Rod, he—"

"He's right!" Dora screamed, "You don't care, this is just sex to you! You left me!"

"Excuse me?" Barty looked offended, glaring slightly at the girl, "I was in prison!"

"You said—You promised!" Dora yelled, "You said you would see me soon and then you got yourself locked up!"

"I stayed behind to protect you!" Barty yelled back, "Is this the root of your anger, Dora? Because I thought you were smart enough to ignore the idiocy of Rodolphus."

"You could have ran!" Dora shook her head, her anger bubbling to such a level that her eyes were brimmed with tears, "You didn't—Get off of me!" Dora growled as the man grabbed her arm, hitting him in the chest as hard as she could to try and move him away from her to no avail.

"I care about you Dora," Barty hissed, not letting go of the woman, "If I just wanted sex then I would have gone to Knockturn Alley and picked up some whore rather than risk Bella's wrath by going to you! I spent my days in Azkaban being fucking kept sane knowing that the reason I was there was because if I hadn't have helped keep the Order away from you, you would be there too! Don't you _dare_ accuse me of—"

The man was silenced immediately, the woman lunging forward and grabbing his dirty hair in her hands and pulling his face down to her own as she kissed him furiously. Barty was stunned for a moment before with a small groan he wrapped his arms around the young witch, leaning into their kiss and claiming her lips with his own. Eventually the witch pulled away, panting for breath and resting her forehead on the man's chest as she stilled her tears. Barty sighed, rubbing the woman's back and resting his chin on her head.

"I missed you, Dora . . ." Barty murmured.

"I-I missed you too . . ." Dora sniffed.

"Promise me something?" Barty said after a moment, lifting his head as he waited for the woman to look up at him and nod in acknowledgement, "Don't listen to Rodolphus, he's a prat when he's in a mood."

"Deal," Dora laughed, nodding in agreement.

"Why was in that mood, anyway?" Barty frowned, "He's got no reason to be upset . . ."

"I . . ." Dora sighed, shaking her head "Don't worry about it . . . Will you promise me something?"

"Yes," Barty said without hesitating.

Dora smirked, reaching up and touching the man's ragged beard, "Don't let this get so bloody overgrown and matted again—and take a bath."

Barty laughed "Deal. Only if you'll join me?"

Dora thought for a moment before she nodded "You can have two baths then, because by merlin are you filthy."

Barty mocked offense at the woman's comment which only caused her to laugh, a sound that he quickly cut off as he kissed her for a brief moment, "Deal . . . and don't listen to what Rodolphus has to say, I'll tell you everything I told Rab and like I said it was just because—"

"Don't," Dora shook her head, "let's just get you washed, okay?"

Barty hesitated for a moment before he sighed and nodded, letting Nymphadora lead him into her ensuite.


	38. Rodolphus

Bellatrix was sat on the edge of her bed, one hand on her stomach protectively whilst the other rested on her wand. She was ready for any eventuality as she heard the second lot of footsteps of the evening walking into the wing. She listened as she heard the door to Nymphadora's room close, taking a deep breath as a second person stopped outside of her door. There was a pause for a moment before the doorknob slowly turned and the door was pushed to reveal her husband. His face was an emotionless mask, though she knew her husband better than to simply read his emotions from his face, he was stood tall and stiff, his hands curled firmly into fists and there was a strange look in his eyes. She didn't say anything, not wanting to be the first to speak. He eventually walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He broke his gaze from her, walking over to the dresser as he set down his wand making her relax enough to slack her grip on her own wand. She stood, turning to face him though as she went to finally say something he merely turned and went to the en-suite.

She winced as the door slammed behind him, the sound of running water soon echoing off of the walls. Bellatrix took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment she frowned as she heard the distant yells of her niece. She walked to the door, listening for a few minutes as she caught the odd word of what she was arguing with Barty out. The woman considered going to break the pair up for a moment before she sighed and shook her head, Rodolphus had clearly tried to upset Nymphadora as a way of offloading his own emotions (it was something she had seen time and time again in the past) and if she was perfectly honest with herself she wouldn't be too disappointed if he managed to split the pair up. She drew her wand and cast a ward on the room, ensuring not only that she could no longer hear the couples yells but if she were to have a similar shouting match with her husband she would not be heard.

Deciding that she busy herself, rather than attempt to worry about the inevitable conversation she would soon be having with her husband, she walked over to her draws. She carefully picked out a pair of pyjamas for her husband, rolling her eyes at the task fit for a house elf as she waved her wand and sent them into the bathroom, then got to getting changed for the evening herself. She was sat back on her bed dressed in one of her new silk nightdresses, silently cursing herself for not just laying back on her bed and going to sleep when the door to the bathroom finally opened again. Rodolphus looked decidedly better now, his tattered Azkaban robes disregarded as he stood merely wearing the bottoms of the pyjama's his wife had sent in for him. The man looked at his wife for a few moments, his eyes flickering to her stomach a few times before he merely shook his head and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" Bellatrix couldn't help but ask.

"Anywhere where I do not have to be with you," Rodolphus grunted, turning the handle, he hissed as he found it to be locked and went to draw his wand.

"We need to talk," Bellatrix said, walking over to her husband and going to take his wand hand in her own though he merely hissed and pulled it away.

" _Talk_?" Rodolphus hissed, turning to glare at the woman.

Bella's mouth felt dry, a tight feeling in her chest that she was unfamiliar with as she looked down unable to stare into his cold dark eyes. She cursed her damned hormones as she couldn't stop herself from saying "I missed you . . ."

Rodolphus laughed coldly, the sound was strange to her ears and caused Bellatrix to flinch slightly before her gaze hardened and she looked back up at him. "Yes, Bellatrix," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, "whilst I've been rotting away in Azkaban prison you certainly seem like you've been sitting here doing nothing but pine over me, _missing_ me."

"I _have_ missed you," Bellatrix hissed, becoming more defensive now, "accept the fact. Whilst you have been locked away I have been here doing my duty to our Lord!"

"Well, if you call getting knocked up serving our Lord," Rodolphus sneered, "personally I knew you were spreading your legs for him like some common ally whore but—"

Bellatrix didn't think, pulling her hand back and bringing it hard and fast across his face. The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the room painfully as the pair froze, the witch glaring furiously as the man slowly drew his hand up to his face and caressed the burning skin of his cheek.

"I have done my duty!" Bellatrix hissed, "I will do _anything_ My Lord asks of me!"

The woman let out a screech as the man grabbed her by the throat, slamming her against the wall as his furious glare burned into her. She struggled for a moment, gasping for air as his fingers dug into her throat to constrict her windpipe. He waited a few moments, enjoying the struggling and gasping of the woman under him before he lessened his grip and she gulped for air, though he still held her firmly in place.

"So he _asked you_ , did he?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, his face so close to her own that she could feel his breath on her skin "Your husband, the man you are supposed to love and be utterly loyal to asks for how many years and receives no child? How many times did _he_ have to ask?"

Bellatrix gritted her teeth, he had not asked in truth. Though she was sure it had not been an accident, The Dark Lord had not specifically asked her to produce an heir for him nor had he discussed the matter until she had gone to him to tell him, terrified to the pit of her stomach that she would anger the man with her news.

"No," Rodolphus shook his head, "I thought as much. He _used_ you—continues to use you. You are not special Bellatrix, if you wouldn't or couldn't he would have gone on to the next desirable female."

"How dare you!" Bellatrix yelled, struggling against the man's grip for a moment again before she settled for screaming at him when she knew she could not move from him "How dare you speak of him in such a way! You should be honoured that I am your wife! That it is your wife that has been chosen for such a— _Rodolphus don't you dare_!"

Rodolphus had his wand drawn now, the tip digging into her side as he rested his forehead upon his wife's, "You have protective wards on the child, I can feel it, I could curse you right where you stand and the child would not be harmed."

"I-Ah!" Bellatrix gasped in shock more than the pain of it as a simple stinging hex ran through her side causing an odd sensation as it didn't touch on her pregnant stomach, she panted for breath and glared in fury as she looked up at her husband.

"See," Rodolphus smirked.

"The Dark Lord will—"

"You won't tell The Dark Lord," Rodolphus said, "you never have—not once."

"This is his child—"

"So you want to tell him how you couldn't defend yourself against an unarmed man?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, "If he tortures me so be it. I have loved you, for s _o many years_ Bellatrix!" the woman winced slightly as he screamed inches from her face, going to turn her head away from him though he grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look at him, "I have helped you in your darkest moments! I protected and comforted you against your father, I swore myself only to you! _I_ took you to The Dark Lord when you begged me to introduce you, I didn't want to—I shouldn't have—but I did _because you asked_! I was the one there putting you back together when he disappeared and did all that I could to help you with the obsession that took over you to get him back! I let you bring the half-blood spawn of your blood traitor sister into our home because _you_ willed it! I did everything for you and yet you would not do the _one thing_ I ever asked of you! You don't care, you don't give two shits that you destroy everything that you touch. That people around you care for you and try to help you—even Nymphadora cares about you and you have essentially ruined the girl's life, cut her off from her parents and turned her into a wanted criminal! But she _thanks_ you!"

Bellatrix curled her lip, "Nymphadora—"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT HER!" Rodolphus yelled in his fury, the sheer volume causing the woman's ears to ache, "I care about you! I do _everything_ for you! But you just use who you wish whether it be some half-blood or your own husband! You just play us like little pawns in your game, never caring, never feeling remorse and certainly never apologising." He looked the woman up and down for a moment, shaking his head before he roughly pushed her away from him and watched her stumble to gain her balance. "You think you hold the power here . . . but you're pathetic."

To the man's amazement, the woman laughed. She shook her head and turned to the man, tilting her head to the side slightly as she looked at him with mock surprise.

" _I'm_ pathetic?" Bellatrix asked, "If you are so miserable in this marriage why haven't you left?"

". . . You know why," Rodolphus barely breathed.

"Still holding out hope that I'd turn around and give you a child?" Bellatrix asked, "Still longing for the day I would turn around and say 'No Roddy, you know what? I _would_ prefer to sit around the manor all day and be an obedient brainless housewife.'" She sneered, her mocking smile faltering only to be quickly replaced by her own stern look of fury, " _You knew what you were marrying._ You knew that was never me, I was never going to sit at home and do nothing whilst you went out and served for a cause so much greater than us! Perhaps there was a time when I would have given you a child, perhaps I may have toyed with the idea and even wanted it myself for a fleeting moment . . . but I had to serve, you had to serve . . . You knew I was a broken mess before you even considered marrying me. So _sorry_ , Rodolphus," Bellatrix shrugged, not sounding sorry at all, "you want an apology? _I'm sorry_ you were idiotic enough to think me to be anything but what I am. _I'm sorry_ you don't put The Dark Lord before all else as you should. _I'm sorry_ that you still cling to false hope like the pathetic man _you_ are. This—" Bellatrix put a hand on her stomach, fury on her features though tears welled in her eyes as she could not pass through her hormonal barrier to simply glare at the man, "this is more important than either of us, she will become more than either of us can _dare_ to imagine. Our wants and needs are nothing in comparison. So stay, if you want, or if love is keeping you here then so be it."

" . . . Did you ever love me?" Rodolphus asked quietly, as if he barely dared to ask, "Did you ever care?"

Bellatrix rolled her eyes initially, sighing and swallowing hard before she muttered, "You are my husband . . . As much as my father wanted to think he could, he could never make me marry someone I did not want to marry."

Rodolphus stared at the woman for a moment before he went and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor as he tried to both calm and make sense of his thoughts. "Was this planned?"

". . . He planned it," Bellatrix eventually said, hesitating for a moment before she walked over to her husband and waited for him to look up at him though she could not force herself even to smile at the man, "I should curse you for trying to hurt me . . ."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Rodolphus scoffed.

"Nor the last," Bellatrix let herself smirk slightly.

Rodolphus sighed, burying his head in his hands he was only slightly surprised as he felt the weight of his wife sitting down next to him on the bed. There was a long silence before Bellatrix rested her head on his shoulder and he stifled a groan, he had missed her touch, her scent, simply her. He was a fool for her, damned to forever be fighting and hurting each other with only dotted moments of happiness to calm the storm of their marriage. He was the pawn in her game, a game that he did not know how to win or end and he quietly realised that he was unsure as to if he ever would want to.

"It shouldn't be like this . . ." Rodolphus murmured, "our relationship . . . it's insane."

"Sanity is boring," Bellatrix purred, closing her eyes and resting a hand on his leg, a flicker of a smile haunted her lips as she felt him gradually move his hand to entwine his fingers in his own, "shall we start from the beginning?"

"Of our marriage?" Rodolphus asked.

"Merlin no," Bellatrix scoffed, "let's start with the night . . . I believe I told you I may have missed you . . ."

Rodolphus took a deep breath, he knew this relationship was not healthy, nowhere near so. Though he resigned himself to the emotions he felt for his wife, both the good and the bad, he moved his arm to wrap around her back. "And I you . . . I have missed you."


	39. The Heir

Long, wild hair tickled his bare chest, though his eyes remained closed. He could almost imagine he was anywhere, at any point in his life, if he just kept his eyes closed and continued to trace circles on his wife's back absentmindedly. He could imagine they were at the start of their marriage, happily curled in bed basking in the morning light beginning to seep into their room. He could imagine they were back at Hogwarts even, hiding away in the boy's dormitory in the calm bliss that followed their wild teenage hormones having run their course. But he could feel it. There was no use pretending, no use ignoring the matter or trying to imagine he was elsewhere when the enlarged stomach of his wife's bastard child was pressed up against him.

He used to enjoy these calm moments in the early hours of the morning, the moment's when Bellatrix was still asleep, having curled herself around him in her sleep as she nestled her head into his neck, but right now he could not enjoy this rare moment of calm. The thought of the unborn child of his master left too much of a bitter taste clinging to the back of his throat.

Rodolphus slowly opened his eyes, he had only been pretending to sleep for most of the night as the luxury of such rest was cruelly snatched from his grasp to be replaced by worry and thought. He had to forgive his wife, whether the woman wanted the child or not (and he had no doubt in his mind that she wanted it perhaps more than anything else) he knew that she had no choice in the matter. If their master wanted an heir then he would get one. Who was Bellatrix to even think of refusing _that_? Of course, she could have perhaps not started sleeping with the man in the first place, but that had just happened to start with . . . and again, who was she to refuse him? He knew he had to stick by her side and he knew (or perhaps hoped) that the woman did feel for him no matter how little she showed it. After all, she had admitted to missing him. In the world of Bellatrix that was as close as you were ever likely to get to professing her undying love for you. Part of the man wanted to hold his wife like this forever, to kiss her and love her and never let her go. Though the other part of the man wanted to see the woman writhe beneath him, screaming in agony as he cursed her for all of the wrongs she had done him and the pain he had put him through . . . it wouldn't have been the first time he had done such a thing. He shook the thought from his head though, now was not the time.

With a deep breath, Rodolphus slowly began to disentangle himself from his wife, a deep and sudden need to get some air taking over him. Bellatrix groaned in her sleep, clasping at his chest for a moment in protest he brought his hand to his lips and kissed her fingers softly before he carefully placed the hand onto the pillow as he slipped from their bed. He took a moment to look down at his wife, tangled in blankets as she groaned and pulled the pillow into herself. He was sure the slightest noise would bring her from her light sleep, though he preferred her this way somehow and was not ready to deal with the woman in anything but this peaceful state right now. So he slowly got dressed, his gaze flickering to the woman every few moments to ensure she was still sleeping, before slipping from the room as silently as possible and closing the door carefully behind him.

As he turned to leave Rodolphus was stopped by the sight of the witch before him. Nymphadora Tonks was stood outside her door, ready to leave her own room before she had caught sight of her Uncle. Her door was still slightly ajar though she quickly closed it, a look of distaste on her features as she looked at the man. She brushed her dark purple locks out of her face and drew herself tall.

"Uncle Rodolphus," Nymphadora spoke curtly.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, smirking slightly to himself as he thought of how obvious the witch was sometimes with her emotions. "Nymphadora . . ." Rodolphus spoke casually, "hiding someone in your room, are we?"

"That's none of your business," Nymphadora narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her.

"No," Rodolphus shrugged, "if you don't want to heed my warnings—"

"Your _warnings_ are a bunch of bullshit," she hissed.

"If you say so," Rodolphus sighed, going to leave the wing.

"You know," Nymphadora said, raising her voice slightly which caused the man to stop, turning to look to her out of curiousity, "just because you're pissed about Aunt Bella doesn't give you a right to feed lies to people to make you feel better about yourself."

"Oh?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow at the girl, "Is that so?"

"Yes, _that is so_ ," Nymphadora glared, "I talked to Barty about it all."

"And I'm sure he told you exactly what you wanted to hear," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, his patience beginning to wear thin.

"He told me the truth," Nymphadora said, "he cares about me . . ."

"Did he though?" Rodolphus asked simply, "Did he tell you the truth? Does he care about you? Or is he simply playing you like a fool for his own needs?"

"I'm not stupid enough to let someone use me like that," she hissed.

Rodolphus couldn't help but laugh at that comment; _if only she knew_. "Nymphadora, you are so naïve at times."

"I am not!" she snapped, the roots of her hair beginning to tinge red.

"Oh _Dora_ —"

"Rodolphus!" the hiss of his wife came from behind him, they had clearly roused the woman from her sleep (though he had reason to suspect she had merely been feigning sleep as he had previously by the time he had left the room).

He turned to see the woman, she had merely stuck her head around the door and her eyes darted to the other rooms of the wing for a moment before she settled her gaze on him. He couldn't help but wonder how many people were going to be trusted with the information of the bastard child, as she was clearly presenting herself in this way to cover the unborn child behind their door. He shook his head, flashed his wife the slightest ghost of a smile and walked from the wing.

Bellatrix stared at her niece for a moment, curious as to if Rodolphus had been correct in assuming that her niece had been hiding someone in her room though she soon decided she didn't care. The younger witch took a few calming breaths and looked at her Aunt as her hair returned entirely to its previous shade of purple. With a small incline of her head, the older witch gestured for her niece to join her in her room, waiting for the witch to slip into her room before she closed out the rest of the world.

* * *

It had seemed like months had passed in the blink of an eye, though at the same time it had also felt like they had spent an entire lifetime in the secret wing of Malfoy Manor. Though the minutes turned into hours, the hours to days and the days to months and soon Nymphadora Tonks found herself sat in the room of her now heavily pregnant Aunt. It was nearing mid-April and Bellatrix was officially overdue. The older witch spent most of her days holed up in her room now, flitting between bouts of rage and annoyances at the slightest of things and an almost comatose state of apparent uncaring as she tried to hide her newly found more sensitive side. Nymphadora had just had to deal with one of her bouts of rage as she could hear her screams at Rodolphus from the other side of the wing (apparently, he had made an offhand comment about her being rather large now), she had arrived just as the man had stormed out and after letting her Aunt rant to her about the man's idiocy she was soon docile enough as she laid in bed with complaints of not feeling well. Nymphadora had decided to stay with her, sat against the window as she pressed her head to the cool glass and watched the April showers falling down upon Malfoy Manor.

Nymphadora sighed as she heard her Aunt let out a small groan, turning her head ever so slightly to look at the woman stroke her stomach.

"Do you need me to call for the healer?" Nymphadora asked quietly, almost as if she was worried that if she were to speak too loudly her Aunt would soon turn on her as she had her own husband.

"I'm fine . . ." Bellatrix mumbled, forcing herself to open her eyes as she looked at her niece.

Nymphadora was unconvinced, though decided not to pursue the witch for her own safety.

"I'm fine," Bellatrix repeated, narrowing her eyes at the girl, "I can practically feel your worry from over here."

"Worry?" Dora smirked, "You don't need anyone to worry about you, you're Bellatrix Lestrange."

Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh at this comment, shaking her head slightly, "You amuse me,"

"Glad to be of service," Nymphadora shrugged, standing up from her seat and walking over to her Aunts bed. She sat herself down on the end of the bed, causing her Aunt to move her legs out of the way slightly, then crossed her leg and leant against the bedpost. "Game of chess?"

"No," Bellatrix wrinkled her nose.

"Walk in the grounds?"

"No,"

"I think we have some poor soul destined to die in the dungeons, could have some fun torturing them for a bit?" Nymphadora raised an eyebrow.

"No,"

"Ah-ha," Nymphadora leant forward slightly, a knowing look on her features, " _Bellatrix Lestrange_ never passes _that_ offer up, so clearly you're not fine."

"I could curse you to insanity before you even had a chance to understand what was happening," Bellatrix said airily.

"Nah you wouldn't," Dora leant back against the bedpost again, "or else you would have tried it by now—or at least sent a slight curse my way, I know you too well."

"So it seems . . ." Bellatrix considered the girl for a moment before she attempted to sit herself up slightly on the bed, letting out another gasp of pain as she manoeuvred herself.

"That's the fifth time,"

"The fifth time for what?" Bellatrix half-snapped.

"The fifth time in the last hour you've done something to indicate that you're in pain," Dora rolled her eyes, "but I, of course, know that you have a very high pain threshold so that probably means you've been in pain a little longer than that. Am I right? Or am I wrong?"

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her niece, pursing her lips as she stared at her for a few moments before she gritted her teeth and let out a mangled cry of pain.

"Right," Dora sat up, putting her hands on her knees, "I'm going to get the healer."

"What healer?" Bellatrix hissed, "Get Cissa."

"I—" Dora frowned, furrowing her brow in confusion, "we have a healer."

"We're wanted criminals, Dora," Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

Dora spoke slowly, her confusion growing, "Which is why we have Healer Greer, he is loy—"

"I know who he is and who he is loyal to," Bellatrix hissed, trying to reposition herself in bed "You seem to have forgotten the secrecy of _this_!"

"I—"

"Go and get your Aunt, girl!" Bellatrix yelled.

Nymphadora didn't hesitate any further, she jumped to her feet, almost falling flat on her face as she grasped the bedpost ignoring the grunt of annoyance from Bellatrix. She ran as fast as she could, losing count of how many times she almost knocked something over or fell over herself before she found her Aunt in the main sitting room.

"Dora, what on earth are you doing?" Narcissa stood from her chair in fright, looking around as if expecting the Minister of Magic himself to walk into the room to see a wanted criminal in Malfoy Manor, "What—"

The girl panted for breath, putting a hand to her chest as she leant on the door frame, "I think Aunt Bella might be in labour,"

"Merlin," Narcissa murmured, shaking the shocked look from her face before she drew herself tall again, "Well, come on then, there's no time to lose."

Dora nodded, stepping aside to let her Aunt leave the room and following her back up to the wing. The young witch paused slightly as she saw her Uncle Rodolphus stood outside his bedroom door, though Narcissa simply acted as if he were not there and went in ahead of him, Dora couldn't help but be distracted by his cold stare.

"I wouldn't advise going in there if I were you," Rodolphus said.

"I—" Dora hesitated for a moment, considering the man's comment. It was true that she had no desire to go into that room at all, she knew her Aunt well enough to know that a lot of cursing of both the sorts of language and magic was sure to take place as she undertook the task of childbirth. Though the more she thought about how nice it would be to avoid all of that, the more she thought of how unfair it would be for her to leave her Aunt Cissa alone to it all. "I have to go in there."

"Really?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, "Glutton for punishment, are you?"

"What are you two doing out here?" Barty asked casually as he exited his room and walked up to the pair, Dora did not miss the look he gave her Uncle nor the hand he casually placed on the small of her back, "What shit are you peddling now, Lestrange?"

"None at all, that is _your_ area of expertise," Rodolphus chuckled.

"I—"

"Enough," Dora said firmly, taking the mans hand from her back and giving it a quick squeeze before she walked towards her Aunts door, "I'll have none of you two starting fights in the corridors whilst I'm trying to help with Aunt Bella,"

"Is she . . .?" Barty raised an eyebrow, he had long since been told of the impending arrival of the heir of The Dark Lord. It was unavoidable for him to learn the truth, the same for Rabastan, though they were both sworn to secrecy the same as everyone else who knew.

"I think so . . ." Dora bit her lip, "Don't wait up," without another word the witch went into her Aunts room, closing the door firmly behind her.

"Must feel odd," Barty mused, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, "having your wife giving birth to a child that isn't yours,"

"I'm sure it will feel just as odd when I curse you to insanity for not shutting your mouth, Crouch," Rodolphus raised his eyebrows at the man, as if daring him to carry on. When he did not he simply let out a small huff, it was almost as if the man was looking for a fight at that moment in time, anything to take the edge off. "I will deal with my . . . _unique_ relationship, you focus on your own."

"And what of my relationship with Nymphadora is _unique_?" Barty asked.

"All one sided relationships are," Rodolphus said simply.

Without giving the man a chance to respond (though from the look of both annoyance and his clenched fists Rodolphus could almost guess what the man was about to start to say), he left for his brother's room ready to hide from his Wife for as long as he could.

* * *

"You're doing fine, Bella," Narcissa encouraged her older sister from her position awkwardly knelt between her legs at the end of the bed, "Just a couple more pushes and I'm sure we'll be there."

"Oh, what would you know!" Bellatrix screamed, her face and hair wet with sweat as she glared furiously at her sister, "You've never seen it from that angle!"

"Aunt Bella, we're just trying to—"

"You're _just trying to_ annoy me!" Bellatrix yelled in agony, "The both of you!"

"How about you direct a little of that rage into energy for a push, hmm?" Narcissa said, not daring to look directly at her sister as she focused on the task at hand.

Bellatrix let out another scream, enticing a whimper from her niece whose hand she had decided to grip onto as if she was trying to squeeze the juice from a sopophorous bean with her bare hand. Nymphadora quickly bit her lip to stop herself yelling out at the pain of it as her Aunt bore down and tried to bring life to her child.

"The head's out, Bella," Narcissa sighed with relief, "Just a couple more little pushes,"

"You said a couple before that!" Bellatrix screeched, though she quickly gritted her teeth and with an all mighty guttural yell she did as her sister told her.

Soon the cries of the child filled the room and Bellatrix fell back onto her pillows with a whimper of relief. Nymphadora watched intently as Narcissa summoned the child's blanket from the side, cutting the girl's cord before she carefully wrapped her in its warmth. It was a strange sight, Dora thought, as she stepped back and watched her Aunt Cissa bring the newborn over to Bellatrix, placing her in the woman's arms so gently she was sure she was worried she would hurt the thing. Bellatrix had tears falling from her eyes as she cradled the girl, pushing the blanket back slightly as she looked with wonder at her features. The girl had quietened the moment she had been placed in her mother's arms and now, laid on a bed in a hidden wing of Malfoy Manor, lay the most feared dark witch of her time cradling the seemingly innocent newborn heir of The Dark Lord.

"Dora . . ." Narcissa spoke quietly, coming up to her niece's side after she had finished cleaning up her sister a few minutes later, "We should leave them . . ."

"C-Call him," Bellatrix said, taking a deep steadying breath and looking to her niece, "I—. . . I would, but I don't want to move her to get to my mark . . ."

"Of course," Dora nodded, taking her eyes off of the little girl as she pulled up her sleeve. She shook her head to clear it before she quickly pressed her finger to the snake and skull on her arm, as if scared if she didn't do it quickly she would not do it at all. Instant pain radiated up her arm for a brief moment, though it was followed quickly by the undeniable knowledge that their Lord was on his way to them.

Narcissa hesitated for a moment before she went to her sister, leaning over her and kissing her head in a tender gesture of which Nymphadora had never seen the two sisters share. "Well done, Bella," the younger witch whispered, the elder giving a small smile of acknowledgement.

"Come, Dora," Narcissa said as she turned to her niece, she took her hand and gently guided her from the room, closing the door behind them. "She's not one for emotions, Bella, best to give her a moment before he arrives . . ."

Dora didn't need to hear the entrance to the wing open to know that it was going to be an extremely brief moment that her Aunt received. The woman bowed immediately as she saw her Lord approach the two witches.

"All went well?" he asked, his voice so void of emotion for a man who had just become a father.

"Yes, My Lord," Narcissa said, the pair looking up to see him give a slight nod of approval before without another word he entered his most faithful's room, the silencing wards clearly still firmly in place from the deathly silence in that now filled the air.

The two witches stood in the silence for a few moments, Narcissa soon making her excuses of exhaustion as she left her niece alone. She had to admit it was a valid point; Nymphadora felt like she could sleep for days. Though as she laid in her bed after washing and dressing for the evening she couldn't help but stare blankly up at the canopy of her bed, wondering what it meant for them (and the Wizarding World as a whole for that matter) now that The Dark Lord had an heir.


	40. The Headmaster

"I can't see why I can't go with you," Bellatrix left out a huff of annoyance.

Nymphadora smirked as she adjusting the corset on her black dress, turning around and looking at her Aunt. The woman sat perched on the end of the young woman's bed, rubbing the back of her baby girl. The two-month-old merely made a small gurgling noise as she reached up and grasped at her mother's hair as if to make a point.

"Delphi," Dora rolled her eyes in amusement, walking over and stroking the small girl's small tuft of silver hair, "she needs you at home."

"I am perfectly capable of going out and doing my duty, thank you very much," Bellatrix murmured, though she leant down and kissed her child's head just the same.

"I'm sure you are," Dora said, "I have no doubt in you and I am sure The Dark Lord feels the same. But there is no sense in sending so many of us out on such a task . . . If something goes wrong this time you can't be at risk of getting arrested with the rest of us. Plus if Delphi starts screaming her lungs out for food when you're not here—"

"Yes, yes, I get your point," Bellatrix rolled her eyes, standing to her feet, "You'll be perfectly fine without me,"

"Oh come on, Aunt Bella," Dora sighed, taking a moment to morph her hair a dark purple as Bellatrix adjusted Delphi in her arms before giving her an almost pleading look, "Rab and Barty aren't going,"

"Because it looks suspicious if I am the only one staying here, because Rodolphus needs to blow off some steam and because you did very well on your mission at the Ministry," Bellatrix said plainly, "I could go on with more reasons,"

"No need," Dora joked, walking over to her Aunt, "How about when I get back we could have a little duel of our own? A bit of training?"

"If you don't come back in need of a healer," Bellatrix mused.

"Your faith in me is oh so assuring," Nymphadora laughed.

"Oh," Bella pouted, "take a joke." She adjusted her grip on Delphi, freeing a hand to swat her niece on the arm. "Now go, before you're late and you'll need a healer for a whole different reason."

"Right," Dora said, "you best get out too then," she walked over to her bedroom door, opening it and walking out only to let out an "Oomph," as she walked straight into her Uncle.

"Time to go," Rodolphus murmured, seemingly unperturbed by his niece as she quickly righted herself.

"Right," Dora nodded, "off we go then."

"Quite . . ." Rodolphus took one look at his wife, their gaze locking for a few moments "I'll see you when I'm back."

"Make sure you come back," Bellatrix warned, letting herself give the man a slight smirk before she walked out of the room and back to her own.

Rodolphus and Nymphadora made their way from the wing, neither saying a word until Nymphadora coughed at the lungful of ash she received on the other end of the fireplace of Borgin and Burkes.

"Watch your step Nymphie," a familiar voice chuckled.

Dora narrowed her eyes in jest at the man, a small smirk playing on her lips as she beat the soot from her dress, "Mind yourself, Gibbon,"

"What you going to do, take me down some abandoned hallway and send a Cruciatus my way?" he chuckled.

"I don't need some secluded hallway to teach you a lesson, Gibbon," Dora teased.

"Sounds untoward," Amycus scoffed.

"No," Alecto said, "she's shacking up with Barty."

Nymphadora didn't move her eyes from Gibbon, pointing her wand at Alecto without a seconds hesitation and hissing a quick Crucio under her breath. The two old school companions merely bit back a laugh at the sight, Dora releasing her curse and pocketing her wand at the sound of Amycus's yells of anger. Dora bit her lip, as she could see her Uncle stand in front of the woman to stop her going over and cursing her back.

"She cursed me!" Alecto yelled in anger.

"Did you see anything, Gibbon?" Dora asked, a look of feigned innocence plastered on her features.

"No," Gibbon returned the expression with a shrug.

"Will you lot behave yourselves," Yaxley demanded, walking over to the vanishing cabinet and pressing his ear to it as if listening for something.

"You tell _her_ that," Alecto hissed, though soon there was no more time for arguments.

Yaxley opened the door to the cabinet, the room silencing as he nodded and gestured for someone to be the first to enter. The air was suddenly thick with anticipation, the group no longer quibbling and all teasing looks wiped from faces to be replaced with ones of determination and focus. Dora was the first to get in, her Uncle slipping in beside her as they went in pairs. She knew who she would meet on the other end and as the strange sensation took over her to let her know that they had been transported she wasted no time in opening the doors at the other end and rushing out to see her cousin. Draco Malfoy looked unusually pale, it was almost as if he was ill.

Nymphadora gave the boy a reassuring smile as her Uncle closed the doors behind them ready for the next lot to arrive, "Well done, Draco,"

Draco merely nodded, a small and stiff movement that only lead Nymphadora to feel slightly sorry for the boy. She couldn't imagine the experience of letting a group of Death Eaters into the castle that your friends and peers slept in, purely for the purpose of distraction and support so you could kill your headmaster, was altogether a pleasant experience.

"What have you got there?" Nymphadora asked as the others began to arrive, nodding to the shrivelled-up hand he held in one hand, the other holding a small bag of something.

"There are people outside the room," Draco said, his voice sounding impressively calm despite his appearance as he looked down to the items, "we need to pass them undetected. I'll throw some Peruvian Darkness Powder into the corridor, I can still see the way if I'm holding the Hand of Glory. So we'll have to stick extremely close to sneak by them and remain as silent as possible."

"I don't think so," Greyback sniggered, a look of pure delight on his features as he licked his lips, "we should just tear them down and be on our way. What are they? Kiddies?"

"Sounds like a plan," Rowle agreed.

"Sounds like a stupid plan," Nymphadora hissed, "Draco has it right. We don't want to cause a commotion before we get to the task at hand. We pass them without fuss and make our way to the Astronomy Tower to set off the mark to lure back Dumbledore—that was the plan, wasn't it Draco?"

"Yes," Draco said.

"Well then," Rodolphus said, "off we go then."

Draco didn't hesitate, going towards the exit of the room. Nymphadora momentarily considered cursing Alecto again as she could hear her mumbles of 'being ordered around by a child'. Though she soon felt her Uncle's hand on her shoulder and focused on the task at hand, gripping onto the back of Draco's robes as he opened the door and quickly threw out a handful of Peruvian darkness powder. There was no time to lose. They succeeded in passing whoever lay in wait in the corridor, the confused yells of children heard in the darkness as they tried to ensure they were okay and attempted to figure out what was going on.

When they could see again Nymphadora grinned at her cousin, who looked relieved that their task had worked so far. Within no time they were up at the Astronomy tower.

"I believe it's your turn to raise the mark, boy," Rodolphus said, casting a warning look at Rowle who had gone to raise the mark himself.

"Right," Draco said, stuffing the Hand of Glory and powder back within his robes and drawing his wand. He took a deep breath as he walked to the large open window, closing his eyes for a moment before he yelled with determination; "Morsmordre!"

"Good," Nymphadora said.

"We need to spread out a bit," Draco said as he turned back to the group, "ready for Dumbledore coming back and a quick escape right out the front gates. I'll wait at the bottom of the stairs, the corridor will be abandoned this time of night and it's less suspicious should someone come walking up here wanting to know what's going on."

The group nodded, waiting for the boy to turn and lead the way before they descended from the tower back down to the seventh floor corridor ready to make their way down. The minute they reached the bottom of the stairs to the tower though Nymphadora acted quickly, yanking on her cousin's robes she pulled him back up towards her as the light of a stunning spell exploded in the wall behind them.

"Looks like we have company," Selwyn grunted under his breath.

"State the obvious," Nymphadora hissed.

"Well, we better greet them," Rodolphus smirked, looking to his comrades behind Nymphadora and gesturing for them to follow him. He gave his nephew a quick glance before looking to his niece, he didn't need to speak for her to know that they were thinking the same thing. They both gave a quick nod. "Come on!" Rodolphus yelled to the rest, running out of the protection of the stairway.

Dora quickly grabbed Draco by the shoulders, turning him to face her, "You're going to get back up the tower and wait at the top of the stairs, I'll help out down here for a bit then if Dumbledore comes this way I'll run straight back up to warn you."

"W-What if they get up here?" Draco asked, a clear look of fright now etched upon his features.

"We'll cover you," Dora said, having to raise her voice slightly as the sounds of battle began to echo off of the old stone walls, "if something does go wrong and they get up there—if we end up defeated—pretend you were Imperiused into setting off the curse or something..."

"I—"

"You are a child, Draco!" Dora gripped onto his shoulders more firmly, staring straight into his eyes now, "They won't hurt you . . . Besides, I think your mother might kill me if I get back home without you. So why don't you get a move on because I'm sure Aunt Cissa could be just as frightening as Aunt Bella should she want to be."

"If I pretend that I didn't want to do as I was told he will _hurt my mother_ —both of my parents," Draco hissed.

"You'd be a fool to tell the truth," Nymphadora hissed, "I will take responsibility for it should it come to that. Don't argue—" she raised her voice again as he looked as if he was about to protest, "Go!"

She let go of the boy, giving him a gentle push back up the stairs. She waited for him to run up before she quickly jumped out and into the waiting battle. She did not expect to see the sight before her. Though they had brought around nine to the fight themselves (not including Draco nor the supposed ally they had in Severus Snape who appeared to be elsewhere at present), there were a fair amount of people fighting against them. Dora was just beginning to wonder to herself why on earth there were a large handful of children trying to fight against them when a spell whizzed past her ear and the instinct to fight took over her.

She narrowly dodged another curse as it went winging by her, growling in annoyance and going straight for the now familiar face of Remus Lupin. She parried his spells with ease, though each time she tried to get an upper hand on the older man she seemed pushed back. She could see her comrades fighting around her, Greyback flying at a young red-haired man, Rowle laughing as he sent a curse behind the werewolf at the Order member. Rodolphus stood further off, a couple of students trying and failing to get the upper hand with him. She knew Rodolphus too well, he wouldn't kill the children if he could help it but merely play with them to their exhaustion. It soon seemed as if they had been battling for far too long, a momentary lapse in concentration on her battle diverting to her cousin upstairs causing her opponent to manage a hit on her shoulder. She hissed in pain, ignoring the snicker of Rowle who had now become without an opponent as he began to walk over to her battle. She growled in frustration, focusing all of her energy into her fight as she yelled at the top of her lungs " _Everte Statum_!"

She watched Remus Lupin fly viciously, far away from her, though as an all too familiar green light flashed across her eye line she momentarily wondered if she had said the right spell. Her eyes widened as Rowle froze in front of her, staring to the right of where Lupin had stood.

"What did you do!?" Rowle yelled.

"I—" Dora looked to the right. There, on a crumpled heap of the floor, was Gibbon. There was no denying what had happened there. "You idiot!" Nymphadora yelled.

"You pushed him out of the way!" Rowle protested.

"I pushed him away _from me_!" Dora screeched, " _You_ killed Gibbon! I could—"

"Nymphadora!" Rodolphus yelled, the pair turning to the man just in time to see him gesture towards the pair now speeding from the staircase to the Astronomy tower.

Nymphadora had no idea as to when Severus Snape had joined the battle, nor did she know how half of their party that was now rushing behind them had managed to follow him up to the Astronomy Tower, but now was not a time for questions.

"It is done!" Severus yelled, her pale-faced cousin quickly walking behind him.

She didn't have time to question it, she merely took one look at her old fallen schoolmate come comrade and with a sigh sped off to follow the rest of her group. It wasn't too hard to leave the rest of their opponents behind them, most were either injured or distracted by trying to use their retreat as an opportunity to treat their injured. They were soon out into the grounds of Hogwarts, Snape leading the group whilst rushing Draco beside him, it wasn't until a sudden yell of the man's name distracted the lot. Potter was running behind them, his wand drawn as he went straight for Snape who seemed temporarily distracted by the affair.

"Draco!" Nymphadora hissed, ignoring the look from her Uncle as she grabbed her cousin by the arm, ignoring Snape as she quickly carried on in their march towards the gates, "Come on."

"B-But Snape—" Draco stuttered, his face paler now than it had been before though he put one foot in front of the other and let his older niece half drag him from the scene.

"He can deal with himself," Dora muttered, "we need to get out of here."

Draco stared back at the pair, wincing as he saw Snape disarm the boy, hearing their yells in the distance now. He nodded. Soon they were outside the gates, Rodolphus having gone ahead and near enough blasting the old metal things off of their hinges. Dora didn't question it, she merely concentrated on getting beyond the barriers of the school and gripping onto her cousin as tightly as she could as she disapparated back to Malfoy Manor. They arrived at the main entrance, Dora immediately released her cousin, looking to her Uncle as he appeared next to her. They didn't speak, merely waited for the rest to appear.

"Did you do it?" Fenrir asked, a smirk on his face as he wiped the blood from his features.

Draco didn't look at him, clearly unsettled by the man's appearance, "I—"

"We report to The Dark Lord, Fenrir," Snape drawled as he appeared beside them, rolling his eyes as he caught sight of Bellatrix speeding towards them.

"Well?" Bellatrix hissed, looking from Snape to Draco and back again, " _Is it done_?"

Snape merely let out a small huff, passing the woman on his way to the main hall of the manor. The rest followed as Bellatrix glared furiously at him, though Dora sighed as Bellatrix grabbed her arm as she went to follow.

"I don't know," Dora said, trying to give her Aunt a sympathetic look as she freed her arm so she could follow her group, "I promise I'll tell you everything when I get out, but for now I have to go."

Bellatrix silently scrutinised the woman for a moment before with a slight nod she followed the rest towards their master.

* * *

Nymphadora was surprised to see that her Aunt was not pacing outside their meeting, she had almost expected her to pounce upon them as soon as they exited, though this was not the case. She entered their wing with Rodolphus, again surprised not to see her Aunt waiting to pounce on her. Rodolphus went straight to his room, pausing momentarily as he opened the door and heard the cries of Delphini Riddle, though after a breath he entered and closed the door behind him. Almost instantly another room opened, that of Rabastan Lestrange, though it was Barty that came out. The man grinned as he saw the woman before him containing her smirk, walking over and immediately wrapping his arms around her he pulled her close and planted a kiss firmly on her lips.

Dora giggled, returning the kiss for a moment before she pulled back ever so slightly, "Is Aunt Bella in with Delphi?

"Nice to see you too," Barty scoffed.

"Sorry," Dora laughed, kissing him again for a brief moment before she pulled away with a wicked grin.

"Tease," he murmured, sneaking his hands down the woman's body to rest on her behind.

Dora rolled her eyes, though she smirked slightly as she rested into the man, "I asked where Aunt Bella was."

Barty sighed, resting his head against the woman's own, "Delphi was crying when she got back from trying to see what you lot had gotten up to, Rab made her put a silencing ward on the room when the girl wouldn't shut up—Bellatrix wasn't too happy with him. Best to stay away."

"Maybe I should—"

"No, Rodolphus will tell her all about tonight." Barty interrupted, lifting the girl into his arms laughing at her squeal of shock, "You have had a very eventful evening, you deserve to rest."

"Rest?" Dora laughed as Barty carried her to her room.

Barty said nothing, though the smirk on his features said enough, as he closed the door behind the pair.


	41. Tonks

Nymphadora's gaze flickered to her fellow Death Eaters, unable to help but wonder what each of them had been up to in the time since she had last seen them; when "the great Albus Dumbledore" had fallen to his early demise. Hers was a look in contrary to that of her Aunt. She only had eyes for her master, even as he acknowledged Severus Snape's entrance to the room her eyes barely left him long enough to give a slight flinch of distaste at his appearance. Lord Voldemort addressed his loyal subjects, beginning to discuss the events already in motion and plans to come and although Nymphadora paid closer attention now she still couldn't help but let her gaze flicker to Draco Malfoy on the odd occasion. She wanted to kick him, she would have if she could have reached him. For though he apparently believed himself to be invisible in that room he most definitely was not. He was staring at the woman suspended above the table, tears trickling down her cheeks though she seemed quite motionless and silent. Nymphadora knew why, she recognised the woman herself and would have even if she hadn't had already been aware that she was going to be there tonight (she had brought the woman in herself, after all). Charity Burbage was a Hogwarts Professor, or at least she had been until The Dark Lord had decided she was better suited to serve as an example for his cause. She could understand why Draco would be a little perturbed, seeing a teacher at his school hanging over a group of Death Eaters, though victims of war were not necessarily an uncommon thing and it was simply something he would have to get used to.

A scream echoed throughout the room, causing many of the Death Eaters to startle slightly, though Voldemort did not flinch at the noise. In his quiet and thoughtful tone he merely instructed Wormtail to silence the screams of the damned prisoner within the depths of the Manor.

"As I was saying," Voldemort's voice carried down the room, "I understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter."

The room shifted slightly, each person in the room now actively avoiding the gaze of their master. Even Bellatrix sat back in her seat again slightly, though Nymphadora was sure she would do anything to please her master and would give over her wand as quickly as she would anything else, Bellatrix was a warrior and hesitant to part with her weapon unless directly asked.

"Lucius . . ." Voldemort stopped by the man, "I see no reason for you to have a wand."

It was painful to watch, as Lucius handed his wand over to his master Nymphadora couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. She watched silently, trying not to show any emotion on her features though she couldn't help but feel sorry for the Malfoys. Perhaps not Lucius (she still partially blamed him for the capture of so many at the Ministry) though Narcissa and Draco had been clearly suffering for the man's downfall from the Dark Lords graces. As the Dark Lord settled back in his seat Dora couldn't help but let a small shiver run up her spine at the arrival of Nagini, watching her master stroke her scaley head with his long thin fingers.

"Why do the Malfoys look so unhappy with their lot? Is my return, my rise to power, not the very thing they professed to desire for so many years?"

"Of course, My Lord," Lucius said, wiping the sweat from his upper lip, "We did desire it—we do."

"My Lord," the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange piped up from beside Nymphadora, constricted with emotion Nymphadora could not help but wonder if the treatment of her sister and her family unsettled her slightly, perhaps even worried her, "it is an honour to have you here, in our family's house. There can be no higher pleasure."

Voldemort looked at the woman, his head tilting to the side slightly as he silently considered her for a few moments. When he spoke again his voice was eerily calm, though the shadow of a small smirk passed his features for merely a moment, "Family . . . it is important, isn't it?"

The man had Nymphadora's full attention now, as though his head remained turned to Bellatrix his eyes settled on her, it was a look that made her stomach churn. She had done nothing to displease him. She had been nothing but loyal, showed nothing but the utmost competence and skill in his service. Surely she was not about to be berated in front of her peers in the same way the Malfoys had been?

"Though," Voldemort mused, "it seems that even the best of families can become . . . infected, impure and . . . traitorous."

It was as if she had forgotten to breathe, a lump caught in her throat and she was sure even the slightest flicker of fear was clearly visible on her features as she heard a snicker from somewhere along the table. She knew who he meant, though she feared what would come next.

"Your sister, Bellatrix—and yours, Narcissa and your _mother_ I believe, Nymphadora," Voldemort said, "I believe she is a blood traitor, no?"

"She is no sister of ours! And no mother to Nymphadora!" Bellatrix quickly hissed, though Nymphadora was surprised as Bellatrix took her sudden movement and yell of protest to hide her hand discreetly moving under the table to rest on her knee. She was unsure if it was to stop Nymphadora protesting (though she knew far better than to do that, not that she would ever want to) or if it was meant to calm and ease her, perhaps it was both. But the unspoken message was clear; _let me deal with this_.

"Is that true, Nymphadora?" Voldemort asked.

Nymphadora didn't hesitate, she nodded her head stiffly and found her voice surprised that it sounded far stronger than she would expect "Yes, My Lord."

"Good . . ." Voldemort said, "Then I believe you will find no difficulty in carrying out a task for me—with your Aunt Bella of course."

"Yes, My Lord," Nymphadora said automatically, though her palms were sweaty and her heart was beating ever more quickly in her chest.

"Though the pure members of our community dwindle ever thinner, I believe that the temptation is best removed, especially for those who have fallen." Voldemort carried on, Nymphadora barely realising as her Aunts grip became ever tighter on her leg and the younger woman moved her hand numbly to cover it, "An example must be made. The filth removed from play and thrown away as they deserve to be. Do you understand?"

"Tell me when, My Lord." Bellatrix said, though the usual excitement and enjoyment that she usually oozed when set a task by her master was decidedly missing, she sounded more like Snape than herself.

"As soon as possible, Bella," Voldemort smirked, looking at the metamorphmagus for a moment before turning back to the rest of the room, "do you not agree, Nymphadora?"

"I—" Nymphadora swallowed, her Aunt's nails gave a sharp dig into her thigh. She nodded. "I do, My Lord."

"Good," Voldemort gave a small nod, then addressed the room at large again as he directed his attentions to the woman above them.

Nymphadora didn't pay much more attention, her head was spinning and her heart was still racing. She merely focused on her Aunt's hand, almost grateful for the still present sting from where her nails had dug into flesh through the fabric of her dress as it gave her something to ground her back into reality. She didn't speak, didn't utter a word and when the meeting ended she was one of the first to stand up to leave, walking as quickly as possible without running. She hissed in pain however when she made it to her bedroom door only to have her wrist tightly grabbed as she was pulled to come face to face with her Aunt Bellatrix.

The two women stared at each other in silence, as if each witch was testing the other to see who would break first. Nymphadora had never seen her Aunt give her her cold and emotionless masked stare when they were alone before, though she was sure she was returning the look herself.

"If we get it over with quickly," Bellatrix said, her voice stiff, "it will be easier—for you."

"Okay," it was all Nymphadora could think to say.

"We . . ." Bellatrix looked down for a moment, releasing her grip on the girl, "we do not have to kill your mother."

Nymphadora nodded, "Just my father," she was sure there was a hint of bitterness in her voice, but she couldn't help it. She had not called Andromeda and Ted Tonks Mother or Father since she had left the Tonks home so many years ago now. She was almost surprised that Bellatrix didn't make comment or even make a face at the reminder of Dora's mudblood relation as she used to so often so many years ago.

"Just him," Bellatrix eventually said.

She nodded, reaching for her bedroom door again, "Tell me when, Aunt Bella,"

". . . I'll see you tomorrow," Bellatrix said, though as Nymphadora turned back to look at her Aunt the woman was entering her own bedroom, quickly shutting the door behind her.

* * *

_Nymphadora was laying on her bed, the sixteen year old staring at the ceiling as she blinked back tears. She swatted them away angrily, not quite understanding why she was crying. Perhaps it was just the exhaustion of the day's events, crucio'ing a schoolmate in the middle of Hogwarts and being dragged home by your parents wasn't necessarily an all together a calming experience . . . but she refused to believe that getting slapped in the face by her own mother had anything to do with her being upset._

_She yelled in annoyance, grabbing her pillow from beside her and throwing it at the wall as hard as she could, though it was a pointless task and something that did nothing to help her relieve any stress or emotion of any sort. A knock came at the door, it was gentle knock though Nymphadora merely glared at her door._

_"Go away!" she hissed, "I'm not accepting any bullshit apology from you and I am_ not _apologising for_ anything _!"_

_"Dora . . ." the sound was not that of her mother's voice, but the gentle hesitant tone of her father, "it's only me . . ."_

_Nymphadora sat up in her bed, staring at the door. She wasn't angry at her father, he hadn't done anything to upset her. He had never done anything to upset her or direct any rage such as she felt for her mother towards him. She considered if she should respond._

_"Dora?" Ted hesitated for a moment "Can I come in?"_

_"I—" Nymphadora sighed, "I suppose so . . ."_

_The door slowly opened, Ted Tonks hesitantly poking his head around the corner after a few moments before he slid into the room and quickly closed the door behind him. "You've been crying," Ted frowned, walking over to his daughter though she merely shuffled up to sit against her headboard wrapping her arms around her legs._

_"No I haven't," she said._

_Ted merely sighed, looking down at his lap "Dora . . . Your Mum—"_

_"Don't try and defend her," Dora glared, "she hit me!"_

_Ted nodded, "I know, she shouldn't have done that, she's quite upset—she is." Ted sighed as the girl scoffed._

_"So what?" Dora grumbled, "What do you want me to do? Go find her and hug her and kiss her? Tell her how I'm so sorry that she wants to think the worst of me, drag me from school, scream at me and then slap me in the face?" she raised her eyebrow at her father._

_"Dora she cares about you—_ I know _you don't think she does," Ted sighed at the face his daughter had made, "but she really does . . . and I do too."_

_"I know you do . . ." Dora smiled slightly despite herself._

_Ted sighed, noting the purposeful wording of his daughter's sentence and wondering where on earth Dora's and Andromeda's relationship had gone so wrong. "I'll leave you to sleep, shall I?" Ted smiled when Dora nodded slightly, reaching over to her and hugging her he pressed his lips to her hair, "Love you Dora,"_

_"Love you Dad . . ."_

"Dora . . ." the voice sounded distant, almost muffled. "Dora," the voice was louder this time and Nymphadora groaned as she realised she had been cruelly awoken from her dreams. "Wake up," Bellatrix said.

Nymphadora let out a small huff of annoyance, slowly pulling the sheets off of her head and wincing at the sudden light as she turned to the direction of her Aunt's voice. "What?"

Bellatrix hesitated for a moment, waiting for Dora to squint her eyes open as she got the reaction she was expecting. Nymphadora frowned slightly, looking at her Aunt properly now as she took in her attire. "Why are you dressed to go out? Where did Barty go?" she frowned as she looked around at her now empty bed, the man had been there when she had fallen asleep.

"I kicked him out," Bellatrix shrugged, "he's not as heavy a sleeper as you are."

"Right . . ." Dora forrowed her brow in confusion at her Aunt's behaviour, pulling herself up to sit against her headrest, "Why are you dressed to go out?"

"I didn't sleep much last night, Dora," Bellatrix sat down on the girls bed, picking at the bedsheets as she didn't meet her niece's gaze.

"Delphi keeping you up again?" Dora asked.

"Yes and no . . ." Bellatrix gathered herself slightly, sitting up straight and looking her niece straight in the eyes, "We need to do what the Dark Lord asked of us . . . today."

"Today . . ." Dora repeated, a lump had settled in her throat and her insides began to squirm. She felt sick.

"The quicker we do it the quicker it will be over with for you," Bellatrix said, standing up and summoning Dora's clothes from her wardrobe.

"I—" Dora stared at her bed, "I have to kill . . . ?"

"Yes," Bellatrix said, acting as if she had asked if she had to do something simple such as go eat her breakfast.

"I—"

"Get dressed, I'll be back in half an hour, I need to feed Delphi." Bellatrix said simply, dropping some clothes onto Dora's bed and walking out of the room without another word.

* * *

Nymphadora stood on the edge of the street that she had once grown up on. She had not been back to the place in many years, though little had changed Dora couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that she was no longer welcome here. It was the middle of a particularly dreary Sunday, rain fell down hard and fast onto the two witches yet both seemed completely unfazed by it all. Bellatrix looked to her niece, waiting for her to return her gaze before she nodded towards the house. They walked quickly, wary to get out of the middle of the street and Nymphadora was just about to draw her wand to help bring down the wards she knew would be around the house when Bellatrix grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Try getting in without that," Bellatrix muttered.

"She would have changed the wards since I was a kid. Remember when I left she said—"

"I know what she _said_ ," Bellatrix said, "try it. You can alter the wards to let me in easily if you are inside of them."

"I—"

"Act quickly!" Bellatrix hissed.

Dora took a deep breath, "Okay."

Without hesitating any further, she took a few steps forward. Her hand reached out to the old wooden gate of the garden and, feeling as though her heart had stuck in her throat, she snatched her hand out and grabbed it. There was no rejection, no pain, no being flung away or the feel of alarms ringing through the property. Andromeda had never changed the wards. Her mother had sworn if Nymphadora left her home she would change the wards to keep her out and disown her for good. But she hadn't.

"Dora!" Bellatrix hissed, growing impatient.

The voice snapped her back to reality and with a small nod, Nymphadora pointed her wand at the wards, biting her lip as she could hear the movement within the house behind her. Though within seconds Bellatrix Lestrange was in the Tonks' garden. She grinned with delight, a strange sense of crazy excitement suddenly washing over her as she ran for the door.

"Oh, Andy!" Bellatrix called out, laughing as with a sudden and swift motion she blew the front door off of its hinges.

Nymphadora was quick to follow, immediately busying herself with making sure the door was put to rights so as not to raise suspicion to the outside world and adding a new silencing ward over the home—this was not going to be a quiet family reunion. She went to turn, though as she did so she immediately bumped into her Aunt's back. She winced slightly then looked up to see what her Aunt was staring at with her wand drawn, a crooked smirk on her lips.

Andromeda Tonks stood at the top of the stairs, her wand was already gripped tightly in her hand and her jaw was set in a hard emotionless stare. "Still as clumsy as ever?" she asked casually as if she had only seen her daughter yesterday.

"We're not here for small talk, sister dear," Bellatrix said, "quite the opposite."

"I would expect nothing less," Andromeda replied, though she didn't have time to say much else.

Without a seconds warning, Bellatrix threw a hex at her once sister, the younger witch putting up a shield just in time as Nymphadora had to duck to miss the rebounding spell. She gripped tighter on to her wand, though as she raised it to her mother she found herself entranced as the two sisters threw spells back and forth. Bellatrix clearly had the upper hand, she didn't need Dora's help, Andromeda was slowly retreating further to the wall as Bellatrix made her way slowly but surely towards her.

"I told you to _go_!" Andromeda yelled as her husband ran up beside her, the man throwing a spell at Bellatrix though she deflected it with ease.

"Aww," Bellatrix pouted, "did you tell the ickle mudblood to run scared? Think you can take us on all by yourself?"

"You seem rather alone in your pursuit," Andromeda hissed, her eyes flashing to her daughter.

Nymphadora gritted her teeth, bounding the few stairs between herself and her Aunt as she threw a spell at her mother, the woman looking slightly taken aback as she narrowly missed it.

"She seemed more than capable," Dora said.

"Dora, what are you doing?" Ted asked, a hurt look on his features, "Stop this nonsense, we are your _parents_."

"You are not," Bellatrix hissed, then without warning, she continued her barrage of spells.

It was a mess. Curses, jinxes and hexes flew around the small upstairs corridor as Andromeda and Ted Tonks were pushed further and further back into their home. Dora knew the game they were playing (and by the slight disguised look of concern on Andromeda's features she knew too), there was no space to play in the cramped corridor, they needed to get them into a room. Nymphadora shot a glance behind her parents, firing a curse over their heads as she blasted yet another door off of its hinges.

"Good work," Bellatrix laughed, then with a silent understanding between them they both screamed " ** _Depulso_**!"

Ted and Andromeda went flying backwards with a yell of shock from the pair of them. Bellatrix and Nymphadora were close behind them. Bellatrix instantly running to the man now trying to aim his wand again she quickly disarmed him, " ** _Incarcerous_**!"

She let out a laugh of delight as she bent down and snatched the man's wand into her own hands, turning to look at her niece with a smirk on her features. Nymphadora had her mother's wand in one hand, the other hand now carefully trained on the woman's neck as she was forced to look up slightly.

"Now really," Bellatrix sighed, flicking her wand and smirking as her sister became bound like her husband, "you used to put up a much better fight than that, Andy."

"Fuck you," Andromeda growled through gritted teeth, tearing her gaze from her daughter to glare at her sister who looked nothing but delighted at the whole situation.

"No, thank you," Bellatrix laughed, "I'm not into scum."

"I'm your sister," Andromeda wrinkled her nose.

"You are no relation of mine," Bellatrix hissed.

"Dora . . ." Ted Tonks called, "this isn't you. You've let her get into your head, you—"

"Shut your mouth, mudblood," Bellatrix growled, pointing her wand at the man, " ** _Crucio_**!"

Ted Tonks gritted down on his teeth furiously, his whole face turning red as a tomato with the effort of trying to hold in his screams of pain before the task was useless. He let out a guttural yell like a dying animal.

"Stop it!" Andromeda yelled, kicking out as she tried to free herself to get to her husband, causing her daughter to have to jump out of her reach.

"Aww," Bellatrix lifted the spell, smirking at her sister, "but why?"

"Why are you here, Bellatrix?" Andromeda demanded, "The both of you?"

Bellatrix cocked her head slightly, looking to her niece for a moment before she stared at her sister curiously. She slowly walked over to the bound woman on the floor, hesitating for a moment before she dropped to her knees in front of her. She smirked as her sister flinched at the sudden motion.

"You know," Bellatrix practically whispered, reaching her hand out and gently moving some of the stray hairs from her sisters face, "you've known for a long time. Since you first abandoned your family. Since I vowed it would happen, way back then. Since you watched your daughter leave you for the life you denied—for a _better_ life." Bellatrix snickered as Andromeda tried to pull her head out of her reach only for her to let out a hiss of pain as Bella grabbed her hair to force her to stay now inches from her face. Bella could feel the emotions radiating off of her, the pain, the anger, the _fear_. A single tear fell from Andromeda's eyes despite herself. "Don't cry," Bellatrix cooed, " _you_ may live yet . . . _do it, Nymphadora._ "

Dora pulled herself to her senses, tearing her eyes away from her Mother and Aunt just as the younger witch moved her gaze to her. She could feel her wand shaking in her hand, feel herself losing her will to do it. But she had to. She couldn't walk away from this. What would Aunt Bella say? What would _he_ say?

"Dora," Ted said, his voice surprisingly steady as he looked down the tip of his daughter's wand which was now pointed directly at him, "you don't have to do this."

"I do," Dora said firmly.

"We can protect you, Dora," Ted shook his head, "It's not too late to turn back—"

Bellatrix laughed, not moving from her sister as she watched the woman intently, "Are you both insane? What did you think she did at the Ministry? Who do you think helped with Dumbledore's downfall? Who do you think has been _murdering_ people and changing their hair purple? Dora doesn't want to 'turn back', she enjoys what she does—you should see her torturing people, _it's beautiful_."

A silence hung in the room for a moment and Nymphadora couldn't help but avert her gaze from her father. She had no remorse for her crimes, she willingly served The Dark Lord, though there was something about her parents knowing this. She did not want to see their opinions on such matters, even after all of these years of not talking to them—of disowning them as much as they had her if not more.

"He'll kill her, Ted," to everyone's surprise, it was Andromeda who breathed those words to break the silence, looking to her husband as best she could, "If she's been tasked with killing us and she doesn't . . . At least hurt her . . ."

"Fifty points to Slytherin for the smart bitch in the ropes," Bellatrix rolled her eyes as her voice dripped with sarcasm, almost instantly hissing in annoyance as Andromeda spat at her, "Manners!" Bella growled, hitting the woman's head back onto the wall with a sickening thud, "Do it _now_ , Nymphadora!"

Father and daughter locked eyes again. Her hand was still trembling and she couldn't stop it no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even get the two deadly words that she had uttered with ease so many times before out of her mouth.

"Do it, Dora," Ted said, holding his head high as he gathered himself as much as he could whilst bound, "I don't want you hurt or worse . . . so do it."

"I—" Dora took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to ignore the sounds around her; Andromeda had begun to struggle against Bellatrix to no avail.

"Do it!" Bellatrix hissed, "Do it now so we can get out of this merlin forsaken hovel!"

She refocused her aim, looking to her father's eyes as he smiled sadly at her, "Love you, Dora,"

She couldn't help herself as her lips moved, mouthing 'love you Dad' safe in the knowledge that she knew her Aunt could not see her, before she gritted her teeth, " ** _Avada Kedavra_**!"

Andromeda's screams were mingled with Bellatrix's victorious cackle of delight. Dora didn't even realise as Bellatrix moved away from Andromeda, undoing her binds so that she could scramble to her fallen husband. She tore the ropes off of him, clutching onto his lifeless form as she cried freely now. Dora felt her Aunt's hand on her shoulder and heard her snicker in her ear.

"Go on then," Andromeda growled as she turned to look at the two Death Eaters, " _finish the job_."

"So you and the mudblood can be reunited?" Bellatrix taunted, waiting a breath before she shook her head and turned from the room.

Nymphadora stared at her parents, her eyes locking with Andromeda's as she struggled to keep the emotion from her face. She felt the tug on her arm as her Aunt pulled her from the room, making herself put one foot in front of the other almost mechanically, she barely even flinched as her Aunt cried out with glee when they got into the garden " ** _Morsmordre_**!"

Nymphadora felt numb, she felt sick, she felt fucking awful. Though her Aunt was giggling, ducking down instinctively and turning as she heard her sister behind her. Andromeda was stood in front of the house, her chest heaving and her usually kind light brown eyes alight with fury.

"You get back here, you bitch!" Andromeda hissed and as Dora turned to look at her she was surprised to see that her wand was trained on Bellatrix and not her.

"No thank you," Bellatrix smiled disturbingly sweetly, "I have prior engagements, lovely little catch up though! We must do it again sometime."

"You do not get to walk away from this!" Andromeda yelled.

"Yet, here I am, walking away," Bellatrix shrugged, "Come, Dora."

Andromeda yelled out as Bellatrix tried to walk away with Dora, throwing a spell that was parried by Bellatrix with ease.

"This is your fault!" Andromeda screamed.

"I think you'll find your _daughter_ killed your husband," Bellatrix laughed, sending a quick lazy hex that was dodged by her sister.

"Because of you!" Andromeda cried, ignoring the young witch beside her sister, "You took my daughter! Was that not enough? You didn't need Ted!"

"No," Bellatrix said, "I didn't need him," she accented every word with a spell, making her sister dance to get out of their way, "hence . . . we . . . got . . . rid . . . of . . . him!" Bellatrix grinned as on the last word she managed to hit her sister square in the chest, shaking her head as she went skidding backwards and collided with the wall, "It doesn't do to let duels be fuelled purely by petty anger and revenge dear, you are clearly out of practice," Bella mused, "Until next time."

Bellatrix grabbed Dora's wrist more firmly this time, only briefly noting the tears clearly threatening to spill from her dark eyes, the limpness of her now mousey brown hair and the glazed look on her features. She dragged her to pass through the wards, ignoring the sound of her sister running for her as she disapparated just in time to miss a well-aimed hex.

Nymphadora immediately vomited, filled with such a mixture of emotions from disgust at herself for killing her own father (no matter his blood) to relief that she had actually done it. It was all too much for her body and mind as she grabbed out to lean against one of the stone pillars marking the gates of Malfoy Manor. Tears escaped her freely now, though she blamed her being sick. She winced as she felt the hand of her Aunt on the small of her back.

"The excitement gets a little much for all of us at times," Bellatrix said coolly, the playful teasing now gone from her demeanour, "go to your room. I'll report to The Dark Lord and send Barty to check on you."

Nymphadora nodded, but she knew her Aunt had already walked away from her. She was being pathetic, though she couldn't help it as she let herself stand watching the rain hit the path around her as if entranced by the dancing water drops.

* * *

 


	42. Suprise

"She will be fine," Bellatrix said, staring down at her young child in the arms of her niece.

"I'm sure she will be," Dora smiled, stroking the little girl's tuft of silver hair, "Narcissa is more than capable of looking after her for a few hours. She's used to looking after a baby, remember?"

"Yes . . ." Bellatrix sighed, "but she's used to looking after little Draco, not my Delphi. Draco was a baby years ago now and Delphini is far more precious and special than her little brat."

Dora merely rolled her eyes, holding back a smirk at the comment. It was true that Narcissa hadn't looked after a newborn alone for many years, though she had seen her help with Delphi multiple times so she knew her to be adequately capable. Besides, she did not want to point out the fact that she was sure looking after an infant Draco Malfoy was no different to looking after Delphini Riddle, heir to the Dark Lord or not, she was still just a baby and hadn't exactly started showing extraordinary powers (or any powers for that matter) that would deem Narcissa incapable of caring for her.

"I offered to stay," Dora said quietly as if scared her Aunt would hear her.

"You can't stay," Bellatrix hissed, "you need to come with me. Why do you seem so intent on not going? This is important, as any task for The Dark Lord is, but this is most definitely important."

"I know," Dora bit her lip, "it's just . . . the idea of swerving around on a broom a hundred feet in the hair makes my stomach turn right now."

"Nonsense," Bellatrix huffed, "I've seen you fly, you used to fly loops around the grounds for fun when you were younger . . . What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, just feeling a bit sick," Dora shook her head, forcing a smile as she walked over and put Delphi in her cot, "she's asleep, why don't we make our way down? We can find Aunt Cissa on the way?"

"And leave her _alone_? For Merlin knows how long until Narcissa is here?" Bellatrix gave the girl an incredulous stare, going to continue to yell at the woman before a knock came at the door. She narrowed her eyes at her niece for a moment before she walked to the door, opening it the tiniest amount before with a groan she opened it fully to let Narcissa in, "Finally."

"I'm early, Bella," Narcissa sighed, walking over to her youngest niece and allowing herself to smile at the young infant.

"She's just had a feed," Bellatrix began, "her nappies are in the dresser, top drawer, spare clothes are below it, if she cries and you can't settle her try her stuffed bear—the brown one, not the black one, if—"

"I'll be fine, Bella," Narcissa sighed.

"But—"

"Come on, Aunt Bella," Dora bit back a smirk of amusement, "we'll be late. We mustn't keep the others waiting."

Bellatrix bit her lip, staring at the two women for a moment before with a breath of defeat she walked over to her sleeping child. It was a strange sight to see as the most powerful dark witch of her age leant down over her innocent child's cot, whispering her love and kissing her silver locks. Though soon the moment was forgotten about as they were headed to meet their fellow Death Eaters.

* * *

"Watch out!" Barty screamed.

The sound barely getting to Nymphadora as she swerved out of the way of an oncoming hex aiming to knock her out of the air just in time. She gritted her teeth against the oncoming winds, tightening her left hand on her broom as she flung a hex in retaliation as quickly as she could. Though she grazed the wings of the thestral it barely touched it, the creature was uninjured and further to that the threat of being attacked merely spurred the creature to fly faster.

"Nice aim, Nymphie!" Rabastan chided as he zoomed past her, almost having caught up with the pair ahead he focused on a flurry of spells to try and catch them off guard.

But something didn't seem right. Why was the Potter on the thestral clinging to the Weasley boy in such a way? Yes, he was still reflecting spells and sending the odd curse back towards them but something didn't seem quite right. She couldn't help but think that the Potter the three of them had decided to chase after was not, in fact, the Potter they needed. She considered trying to convey her thoughts to the boys, though without screaming at them and giving away her suspicions to their two prey she had no idea how to do so. So she continued to pursue them.

She swerved, ducked and looped out of the way of oncoming spells, giving just as good as she got. It was only when she heard the yell of Barty Crouch Jr that she faltered, looking to him in concern only to have that brief moment of distraction taken advantage of as she felt the sharp sting of a spell grazing her side. She hissed in pain, though steadied her grip on her broom as she became determined to look forward at the pair in front of them. But it was too late. Her eyes widened as Rabastan collided with an invisible force and without warning went plummeting towards the earth. She didn't have to think, she immediately went after him, only vaguely registering that Barty had done the same. The odds were against them. Barty pointed his wand at the man, screaming some spell that Nymphadora could not quite make out above the rushing of wind in her ears but thankfully the falling figure slowed. They reached the man at the same time and each grabbed a hand to pull the apparently unconscious form of Rabastan Lestrange towards them. Nymphadora felt her broom jump at the sudden weight and pain seared through her injured side but she ignored it as best as she could. Barty looked at her, it seemed that he was also in pain as blood trickled from his head, with a quick nod they reached a silent understanding and both slowly lowered their selves to the floor. They landed in a small clearing, letting Rabastan lower fully to the ground Nymphadora winced at the man's broken broom which had apparently hit a large tree on its way down to the floor and now lay in two.

"Idiot," Dora sighed.

"Don't worry, I reckon I got that Weasel good," Barty huffed, "the 'Potter boy' they had with them let out a rather feminine yell—I think I hit their arm?"

"Well, that's something," Dora shook her head, kneeling beside Rabastan and looking to see if he had any visible physical injuries, "are you okay? You're bleeding."

"You're bleeding too," Barty rolled his eyes.

"Am I?" Dora frowned, but looked quickly looked down to her side and saw the ripped fabric and blistering red exposed skin, "Shit . . . I don't think it's blood."

"Bet that stings though," Barty said, his eyes flashing to the woman's side for a moment before he knelt down on the other side of Barty and pointed his wand at him, " _Rennervate._ "

Rabastan groaned, scrunching up his features as he brought his hand to his head, "What . . .?"

"You ran head first into a barrier," Barty snicked, "like the smart little shit you are."

"Piss off," Rabastan mumbled.

"Think he'll be alright to apparate himself?" Dora sighed.

Barty shook his head, "Come on, idiot," he chimed as he leant down and grabbed the other man's arm and pulled him to his feet despite his protests. He supported his weight as he propped him up against himself, "I'll apparate him."

"What about those two?" Dora asked, nodding in the direction of their lost prey.

"Long gone," Barty rolled his eyes, "you go back and report to The Dark Lord should you need to, I'll get this plonker in bed and get his brother to take a look at him."

"Right—" Dora went to continue, though the man had already apparated. She rolled her eyes and followed.

* * *

She waited on the porch of Malfoy Manor, leant up against one of the pillars as she closed her eyes to the dark night around her. No-one had come back here yet, she was unsure if they even had to, she had taught herself to become more in tune with the wards of the manor and was sure she would know when they did arrive. She was almost growing concerned now, she had been stood there for around twenty minutes and not even her Aunt and Uncle had returned. Surely they couldn't still be out there? Nymphadora winced slightly as she tried to put her hand on the wound on her side, she had tried to heal it already but with no success (though perhaps that was more down to the fact that she couldn't see the damned thing properly enough to heal it and she had the rising urge to vomit rapidly progressing in her depleting her will to focus).

"Fuck," Nymphadora gasped as she put her hand to her mouth, she tried to run back inside but it was no use and soon Nymphadora Tonks was spewing her guts up in the pristine flowerbeds over the side of Narcissa Malfoy's porch. Minutes later she groaned, wiping her mouth with her sleeve and trying to regain her standing as she went to draw her wand to clear up her mess.

"Beautiful," Bellatrix huffed, causing the girl to jump and almost swear again as she turned to face her Aunt, "Cissa _will_ be pleased."

"Sorry," Dora mumbled, vanishing the mess, "where's Uncle Rod? And the others?"

"Rodolphus decided to walk in without saying hello when he noticed your little display," Bellatrix sighed, "the rest . . . Merlin knows. The Dark Lord is not happy, though he was there for Potter—the _true_ Potter . . . The boy still lives . . . There's no need to report. Come on."

Nymphadora didn't argue as her Aunt took her elbow and guided her into the manor, watching her gaze slide down to her injured side she merely rolled her eyes. She only spoke again when they were both safely in Nymphadora's room.

"How did you get that?" Bellatrix asked as she lifted the girls arm to get a better look at the injury, wrinkling her nose, "Are those _boils_?"

"I don't know," Dora groaned, "Barty got hit—he's okay, I think—I got distracted for a split second and got hit. Rabastan got knocked out too, he flew into a ward when he wasn't paying enough attention, but we woke him up and Barty made sure he got back okay."

"Hmpf," Bellatrix drew her wand, running it over the injury "bloody Order, they never use the spells to kill you—just the ones to cause great annoyance. I'll heal it as best I can, there's a potion I can get for you for the rest of it. Though I can't see anything in these that would make you vomit."

"Thanks," Dora replied, biting her lip at the strange sensation of Bella's spells running through her side.

"You felt sick earlier though, didn't you?" Bellatrix hummed, "And if I remember correctly you told me you couldn't be around Delphi a few days ago as you'd been sick and didn't want to risk giving her a bug . . . "

"Probably nerves," Dora sighed, "today at least, maybe a stomach bug earlier. Who knows?"

"You've also looked pretty run down and tired recently."

"Thanks," Dora scoffed.

Bellatrix stood upright after she had repaired the girls dress, narrowing her eyes at her for a moment as she considered her. After a few moments of awkward silence, the younger witch awkwardly shuffling on the spot under her piercing gaze, Bellatrix finally spoke again.

"Lay down," she said simply and clearly.

"Why?" Dora frowned in confusion.

"Because it can make you go a bit dizzy if you're not laying down," Bellatrix said.

"What ca—"

" _Lay down,_ " Bellatrix repeated more firmly.

"Fine," Dora rolled her eyes, going to lay down on the bed. She had a slight fear of what Bellatrix was about to try, what she thought she might know. Dora wasn't sure if her Aunt was just a master detective or if she had been trying to read her thoughts again, but she had a good idea of what she thought she may be about to try. She gave her Aunt one last hesitant look before she laid back on the bed, shifting her gaze to her Aunts wand as she drew it. Though this time her wand did not go to her side, slowly but surely, she moved its tip to her abdomen. Nymphadora screwed her eyes shut.

Her Aunt was right, as she heard her Aunt mutter a spell she did not recognise a strange sensation took over her. It was if her very insides were being inspected by thin creeping tendrils and although she did not feel dizzy she felt the overwhelming urge to be sick again. But as quickly as it had begun, it was over and Nymphadora Tonks gasped at the sensation of the spell leaving her.

She waited a moment before slowly opening her eyes, though she dared not look at her Aunt, "Well?" she practically whispered, "Am I pregnant?"

Bellatrix wrinkled her nose slightly, thinking for a moment before the girl met her gaze and she gave a deep sigh, "Yes,"

"Shit," Dora's voice broke slightly as she held back tears.

"I take it you didn't know?" Bellatrix asked, pocketing her wand.

"No," Dora shook her head, sitting up on her bed as she let a hand rest on her stomach, "I mean, I'm late . . . _really_ _late_ , I suppose. I had started to wonder a little, but— . . . _Shit_ ," Dora ran her hands through her now white hair in disbelief, "I—What the hell is Barty going to say? What's _The Dark Lord_ going to say?"

Bellatrix shook her head, sitting on the end of the bed, "I do not know about Barty . . . The Dark Lord? Well . . ." Bellatrix let out a breath and shrugged, "It's potentially another metamorphmagus . . . which would be useful . . . but you may get to a point where you can't carry out your duties—I doubt you will have to hide away or be banned from duty all together as I was but . . . it does get to a point in pregnancy where you can't exactly battle anymore . . ."

"Shit," Dora breathed.

"Your vocabulary is depleting," Bellatrix smirked, "The Dark Lord should be fine. Like I said; it's another metamorphmagus potentially and if not a metamorphmagus then it is still a child born from two well respected and talented Death Eaters. So a useful servant nevertheless."

Dora winced, though she was scared and totally unprepared for this unplanned child she didn't quite like the way her Aunt was already talking about it; like it was just another pawn in The Dark Lord's plans, to have its choices made before it was even born. True, she wouldn't exactly mind any future children serving The Dark Lord, but not without choice and _certainly_ not so soon.

"I don't think Barty will be too happy . . ." Dora bit her lip.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Bellatrix said casually, in truth she agreed with her niece's assumption.

"He'll freak," Dora shook her head.

"He cares for you, a lot, he'll stand by you," Bellatrix said simply, again unsure if she was entirely telling the truth.

"I hope . . ." Dora murmured, "I need to tell him . . . I need to tell The Dark Lord," she paled noticeably.

"Let me talk to The Dark Lord for you," Bellatrix offered, moving closer to her niece and taking the girls hand, although she hated to admit it the scared and upset look on Nymphadora's face was making Bellatrix feel sorry for her, making her want to take off some of the burden even, if she could.

"You'd do that?" Dora looked up, slightly surprised at the older witch, "Will he not be . . . I don't know . . ."

"I can talk to him," Bellatrix said, "you can deal with Barty."

"Thanks," Dora said, though, at the prospect of having to tell Barty Crouch Jr that he was going to be a father, she sounded far less enthusiastic.

Bellatrix merely laughed, wrapping an arm around the girl and letting her rest her head on her shoulder. She had to admit, she was interested to see Barty's reaction to all of this, though she was unsure of how the man would react one thing was for certain; he would be standing by Nymphadora whether he liked it or not.

* * *

"Idiots," Rodolphus hissed, shaking his head as his wife merely rolled her eyes at him.

"I don't think they did this on purpose, Rod," Bellatrix sighed, "Though yes, I agree with your sentiment."

"Does The Dark Lord know?" Rodolphus asked.

"Yes—and for Merlin's sake stop pacing!" Bellatrix huffed, adjusting herself on the edge of the bed, "You're annoying me,"

"Well, _I am sorry_ , Bellatrix," Rodolphus spoke mockingly, turning his nose up at the woman, "What did he say when she told him? Do you know?"

" _I_ told him," a small smirk played at the corner of her lips, "he seemed pleased, believe it or not."

" _Pleased_?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, "You have got to be joking. She's not going to be able to go out on missions in her condition, she'll have hormones flying all over the place—which if she's anything like you will not be pleasant. She's essentially made herself useless for nine months."

"Not quite nine months," Bellatrix said, "we figured she would be around six weeks, though she wouldn't be much use for at least a week or so after, I suppose."

"And The Dark Lord was pleased with this?" Rodolphus asked, astonished that this could be seen as anything but a bad thing.

Bellatrix laughed slightly, getting to her feet and walking over to her husband she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his dark eyes, "It is likely to be a Metamorphmagus, Rodolphus. Even if it is not it will be the child of two powerful Death Eaters and so we can only assume it will be more than competent itself. It will serve The Dark Lord, just as its parents do, be brought up knowing only of _his_ ways."

"It is a baby," Rodolphus sighed, though he allowed himself to rest his hands on his wife's hips as she leant into him, "how will it serve The Dark Lord?"

"Delphini is a baby," Bellatrix said simply, ignoring the man's flinch at the sound of her daughter's name, "babies grow up, Roddy. We will not be around forever, though the Dark Lord may very well be . . . we need to ensure that The Dark Lord has followers for generations to come."

Rodolphus stiffened slightly, trying to suppress his distaste at his wife's words. If The Dark Lord needed followers for generations to come, why could _he_ not have an heir? It was true that Bellatrix had never been fond of the idea of children, though she was already a mother now and if more children could further aid The Dark Lord surely she should be willing to help in any way she could? By giving Rodolphus what he wanted? He took a deep breath as Bellatrix kissed his shoulder, moving his hand to the small of her back he tried to suppress his anger. It seemed the closest he was ever going to get to having a child to care for would be the care he had helped Bellatrix give Nymphadora since she had lived with them at sixteen. Though he tried not to admit that he did care for the Metamorphmagus. He decided it was best to try to steer the conversation back to Nymphadora, rather than future generations of any sort.

"Does Barty know yet?" He asked.

"Nymphadora said that she would tell him," Bellatrix said.

"I—"

Both Rodolphus and Bellatrix turned to face the door, a loud bang of a door slamming echoed throughout the hall. Both drew their wands on instinct, Rodolphus storming straight to their own door and tearing it open to see who had made such a noise. Bellatrix growled in annoyance as she followed him.

"I swear if that woke up Delphini I will kill you, Barty Crouch!" Bellatrix hissed as she spotted the man making his way to the exit of the wing.

"Piss off!" Barty sneered, stopping to glare at the woman.

"Do not talk to my wife like that, Crouch," Rodolphus narrowed his eyes, "Do you have a death wish?"

"Maybe," Barty raised his eyebrows, "want to try it?"

Bellatrix glared at the man for a moment, looking down the corridor she realised that the door to the man's room was open ever so slightly, so therefore it could not have been the door that had slammed shut. A thought came to her mind, "Where have you been?"

"None of your business," Barty scoffed.

"You've been with Nymphadora haven't you?" Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, "So help me, Barty Crouch, if you stormed out on that girl—"

"What do you care?" Barty interrupted, "Why has it got anything to do with you, Bellatrix? This doesn't affect you!"

Bellatrix pointed her wand at the man, her face lit with fury as she tried to decide if it was best to kill him instantly or let him suffer. To her surprise, it was Rodolphus who stood forward, his glare trained on the man.

"Go and see to Nymphadora, Bella," Rodolphus breathed, waiting for a few moments before he carried on, " _Now_!"

He didn't take his eyes off of the younger man, waiting until he heard Bellatrix snarl and storm to the girl's room. Barty let out a huff, shaking his head before he went to leave the wing. He jumped back as a spell went flying in front of him.

"What the fuck, Lestrange?" Barty snarled, turning to hex the man though before he could even raise his wand to him he was disarmed.

"What happened?" Rodolphus asked, his voice sounding much calmer than his appearance let on.

"You know what happened," Barty spat, "Bellatrix knows, so I'm sure she's been whispering all of her secrets in your ear."

"Nymphadora told you?"

"Yes,"

"And?"

"And what?" Barty asked.

"What did you say to her?" Rodolphus spoke slowly and clearly as if he was trying to get through to a small child.

"Nothing," Barty shrugged.

"Nothing?"

"Are you deaf?" Barty asked, "She told me she was pregnant, I left. Now if you'll excuse me,"

Barty went to leave the wing again, though as he reached down to pick up his fallen wand on his exit he let out a yell. Rodolphus had run at him, grabbing him by the scruff of his robes with one hand as he pressed him up against the wall, the other hand directing his wand directly into his throat.

"Well, isn't this cosy," Barty spoke mockingly, though hissed as the man pulled him back from the wall slightly only to slam him back into the stone.

"You need to go back in there," Rodolphus said.

"No, I—"

"You got yourself into this mess!" Rodolphus yelled, "You face the consequences of your actions!"

"Wise words coming from the man who skipped out on his consequences when me and your brother went to Azkaban—Ah!" Barty writhed under the man's grip as he sent the Cruciatus curse storming through his body, panting for breath when he released it what felt like hours later though was truly only seconds.

"Nymphadora is pregnant with _your child_ ," Rodolphus hissed in the man's ear, "you are going to become a father whether you like it or not."

"She can get rid of it," Barty said, "The Dark Lord—"

"Is happy to have future soldiers, pleased at the prospect of another Metamorphmagus Death Eater, even pleased that two talented Death Eaters would produce a child together," Rodolphus curled his lip at the man, "though I see no power in you, you are pathetic."

Barty merely glared at the man, gritting his teeth as he refrained himself from throwing another insult his way. "The child is made," Barty said simply, "he has his soldier, I do not have to be there."

"Yes, you do," Rodolphus said, "You should be grateful you have a child! You should be standing by Nymphadora wanting to raise that child alongside her! Or was she always just a distraction for you? A little bit of fun? I've seen you care about her, so there must be something there."

Barty glared at the man for a moment, unwilling to give the man any of the information that he wanted from him. Instead, he merely rolled his eyes, "I will not be forced into marriage,"

"We wouldn't force you on poor Nymphadora," Rodolphus sneered.

"You care about her," Barty asked, intrigued, "don't you? I mean, it's obvious that Bellatrix cares about her but you . . . I thought she was more of something you would put up with, rather than someone to care for. Are you growing soft in your old age, Lestrange?"

"My wife cares for Nymphadora," Rodolphus replied, "and I care for my wife. The woman has been living with us since she was a girl, I have had to look out for her more than once over the years and no, I suppose some of that was not purely because my wife would be upset if she came into harm's way. See, I'm a _man_ , Barty. Not a _boy_ like you, who cannot admit to the simplest of things. Though I warn you, if you hurt Nymphadora—emotionally or otherwise, it will not just be Bellatrix that you will have to look out for. I assure you that, between the two of us," he leant in slightly closer, breathing in his ear and smirking as Barty stiffened beneath him, "if you see that girl wrong you will be sleeping with one eye open for the rest of your _very_ short life." Rodolphus let his words hang in the air for a moment, snickering as he eventually released the man and took a step back. "I suggest that—if you have any sense—that you go for walk. You return in say . . . less than an hour. When you get back here you go to Nymphadora and you tell her you were simply shocked, scared even, that you wanted to clear your mind. I imagine it's a frightening thing to become a father in the middle of a war without being prepared. Nymphadora is scared herself no doubt so she will not question it. You apologise for frightening her further and assure her that you will stand by her. Do you understand me?" He gave the man an opportunity to respond, though as the man merely glared at him he lifted his wand again, gritting his teeth as he snarled, "Do you understand me? Or do I have to _make you_ understand me?"

Barty remained silent, though gave a single and barely noticeable nod.

"Good," Rodolphus smirked, "Do not disappoint me."

With that Rodolphus turned and went back towards his own room, suppressing a chuckle of amusement as he heard the younger man scramble from the ward to 'clear his mind'.

 


	43. The Hogwarts Express

"Well . . ." Narcissa considered her words carefully, looking straight ahead into the grounds of Malfoy Manor as if she had become particularly interested in something in the distance, "congratulations, Nymphadora,"

"Thanks," Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly at the look Bellatrix gave her sister.

It had been a few weeks since Nymphadora had found out she was pregnant and so much had changed. The Ministry had fallen, causing Potter and the Order to fall into hiding, which in turn made Nymphadora, Bellatrix, Barty and indeed any Death Eater, no longer wanted criminals. It was something that they had made the most out of. Bellatrix had gone to Diagon Alley the very next day, Nymphadora close at hand making excuses that she wanted to join her to look at baby things.

On the baby front, things had seemed to be looking up. Although Barty didn't exactly seem excited (which she couldn't blame him for, her primary thought was to be outright terrified herself), he had stuck by her, letting her know that he would be there for her, even helping her some mornings when she had been stuck in the bathroom being sick. If she could have seen herself now weeks ago sat out in the gardens of Malfoy Manor with her Aunts, mark on display and hand on her belly, she would have laughed and thought it ridiculous.

"So, Dora?" Narcissa smiled sweetly at the girl, it was a look Nymphadora had seen far too many times; she knew her Aunt was prying, "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Dora said automatically, smiling back at the woman, "apart from being sick and a bit tired, I'm good."

"Wait until your feet are swelling, your back hurts and you're begging for the agony of childbirth just to get it over with," Bellatrix murmured.

"Bella!" Narcissa hissed, "You'll scare the poor girl. Dora, pregnancy can be a beautiful thing if you let it be."

"I'm fine," Dora breathed, though she was sure her hair had gone a shade paler, "she's said worse."

"Well," Bellatrix shrugged, "I only speak the truth."

"You must be excited to be a mother, no?" Narcissa asked, "It really is a wonderful thing, Dora."

"Yes," Dora smiled, "it is exciting . . ."

Bellatrix sighed, flinching as a spell she had put on her daughter's cot alerted her that she had woken up, "Delphi's due a feed, I'll leave you two ladies to it,"

With that Bellatrix raised from her seat, barely giving the two witches a second glance as she walked back into the manor. Narcissa looked at her niece carefully, staring at her face until the girl turned to face her, a forced smile on her lips.

"What?" Dora asked.

"Are you excited?" Narcissa asked again.

"Yes," Dora nodded.

"It would be okay if you weren't," Narcissa said gently, "you're young, well not much younger than I was with Draco but still . . . you're unmarried, we're in the middle of a war and with both you and Barty being Death Eaters . . ."

"I'm terrified," Dora said simply, the smile disappearing from her face as she raised her eyebrows at her Aunt, "Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm terrified, overwhelmed and a million other emotions all at once that have me crying one minute, laughing the next and then making me want to go on a little killing spree straight after. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Well," Narcissa sighed, moving to sit closer to her niece as she put a reassuring hand on her own, "not exactly, but I didn't want you to lie . . . You can talk to me, Dora. You can talk to Bella too you know."

Dora shook her head, "She has enough on her plate right now . . . Besides . . . I—" Dora shook her head, "I'm an idiot. This is all my fault, I'm useless as a Death Eater for the foreseeable future, I just—"

"You're scared you've disappointed her?" Narcissa asked, sighing when Dora gave a small nod, "You know, you don't have to work to please her all of the time."

"I don't!" Dora snapped, flinching slightly as her Aunt jumped ever so slightly, "Sorry . . ."

"Don't be," Narcissa said, "hormones are a terrible thing to play on one's emotions."

"Tell me about it," Dora mumbled.

"How is Barty taking all of this?" Narcissa asked.

"He . . ." Dora thought for a moment before she shrugged, "he's good . . . I think he's terrified too. I was worried he wasn't going to stick around to be perfectly honest but he seems to have come around to the idea. He's even started talking about names."

"Oh?" Narcissa smiled, "Any good ones?"

"Not really," Dora sighed, "I told him he could pick if it was a boy, I'd pick if it was a girl . . . but I haven't had a chance to think about that yet."

"Well, you should," Narcissa squeezed the girls hands, "get some inspiration, I think you'll feel a little better once you can put a name to the child."

"Maybe . . ."

"There's old star charts and the likes in the library . . ."

"Isn't that the Black tradition?" Dora frowned slightly, "Star names? Like Andromeda, Bellatrix, Cygnus . . ."

"Alphard, Orion, Sirius . . . Yes, but there are some exceptions to the rule. Narcissa, for example, though I think my mother decided I looked more Rosier than Black when I was born." Narcissa let out a small laugh before she looked back to the girl, "You don't have to. The child will be a Crouch . . . but you have Black blood . . . it's just a place to start. Get your mind off of the more daunting things and look towards the more pretty things, such as names, furniture, _clothes_ —"

"Is this you angling for a trip to Diagon?" Dora smirked.

"Well, I could do with some new dresses, I suppose," Narcissa shrugged, smiling as the girl laughed, "You'll be a brilliant mother, Dora, I know it. Just have faith in yourself."

"Thanks . . ." Dora smiled despite herself, looking down to her stomach for a moment before she gave a deep sigh and got up from her seat, "I'm going to go lay down for a bit, I didn't sleep much last night."

"Okay," Narcissa nodded, "I'll see you later."

Nymphadora agreed and then with another smile to her Aunt she walked back in the manor. Though as soon as she got in out of the summer's heat she decided she did not want to go back to her room, instead she headed for the library. The Malfoy library was just as elegant as the rest of the Manor, with hardwood floors, portraits of many an ancestor or powerful witch or wizard in history, plush armchairs alongside a delicate emerald green chaise longue, all accompanied by row upon row of books. She hesitated for a moment before she went to sit at the small table in the middle of the room, taking a seat and drawing her wand as she summoned the scrolls of star charts from the corner of the room.

Nymphadora was laid on her bed hours later, sighing as she drew her wand and cast a cooling spell on the room as she cursed the summer's heat. She was sure she was bound to miss it in a few days' time when the heat was replaced by rain again, as was the way with British weather, but right now she was content to let herself get thoroughly annoyed at it. She was just considering going and having a freezing cold shower to try and cool down further when her door opened.

"Hello, Barty," Dora smiled, sitting up to meet him as he walked over and kissed her, "you smell like fire," she frowned.

"I've been out," Barty shrugged, sliding onto the bed to sit beside Nymphadora.

"Where was my invite?" Dora pouted.

"Boys only," Barty smirked, "we went to blow off some steam."

"Right," Dora sighed.

". . . I found you that drink you've been craving though," Barty said, going into his robes and pulling out a bottle of diet coke.

"Oh god," Dora groaned, taking the bottle and quickly opening it, Barty couldn't help but laugh as she took a moment to savour the taste, "I don't know why, this is amazing though. I love you right now."

"You're welcome . . ." Barty considered the woman for a moment before he spoke again, "Should we be married?"

Nymphadora choked immediately as she tried to swallow her drink, coughing viciously for a moment before she eventually managed to calm herself. "What?" she squeaked.

"Should we be married?" Barty repeated, more slowly now, a small smirk on his lips at the shocked reaction of the woman.

"Is that you proposing?" Dora asked uncertainly.

"No!" Barty shook his head, taking a deep breath before he carried on, "I mean . . . no."

"Good."

"Wouldn't want to marry this handsome man, hmm?" Barty joked.

Dora bit her lip, thinking for a moment. It was true she wouldn't be adverse to the idea, perhaps even a month ago she would have gladly accepted a proposal, but something didn't feel quite right. With a deep breath, she shook her head. "Not for the sake of a baby," she smiled sadly.

There was an awkward silence. Barty merely nodded his head, turning his wand over in his hands as he stared at the floor. Dora took another sip of her drink, for a gap in the silence if anything. She looked to the man for a moment and then stood from her bed, putting her drink on the bedside table.

"I was thinking of Cassiopeia for a name, if it's a girl," Dora said, looking back down at Barty, watching his face intently for a reaction.

"Cassiopeia?" Barty asked, Dora nodding in confirmation, "Like the star? Attempting to carry on the Black tradition?"

"We could call her Cassie for short." Dora shrugged.

"I like it . . ." Barty grinned, "But I still get to pick the name if it's a boy?"

"As long as it isn't utterly ridiculous," Dora smirked.

"Well, there goes Digbert."

Nymphadora laughed, "I'm considering revoking your child naming rights, Barty."

"Fine, fine," Barty smirked, taking the witches hands in his own and pulling her down to sit on her lap, "we better brainstorm together then," he murmured as he leant forward and kissed the woman's neck. She giggled, wrapping her arms around him as they spent the rest of their day in her room, doing a little more than just thinking of baby names.

* * *

It was nearing the Christmas holidays and Nymphadora now found it near impossible to hide the fact that she was pregnant. It wasn't as though she was in the same situation as her Aunt had been, it did no harm for fellow Death Eaters or anyone for that matter to know that she was pregnant. Though the odd snide comment she heard when around others, the odd look of terror she received when recognised in public followed by the shock if someone realised her bump, the mere inability to wear some of her old robes . . . it was all driving her mad, she soon realised that her Aunt had been right when she said disguising the child with magic was uncomfortable or she would have given in to doing just that. But still it bothered her.

She was sat in a small meeting, an unusually small one in fact, with merely herself, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Snape in attendance. She shuffled awkwardly in her seat, wishing more than anything that she had remembered to go to the toilet before she went to the meeting as she cursed the baby for making her need the toilet all of the time now. Rodolphus shot her a look as if to silently tell her to stop her movements, she blushed slightly but was about to snap that she could not help herself when the door opened and each of them quickly stood to attention.

"Morning all," the sickly sweet voice of Bellatrix Lestrange echoed throughout the room, followed by a short giggle as she walked to the front of the group to address them.

"Where's The Dark Lord?" Rabastan frowned.

"Far too busy to give you the time of day, Rab," Bellatrix smirked, letting her gaze linger on Snape for a moment as he rolled his eyes before she took a deep breath and continued, "he's told me to pass along his instruction to you though. Snape, I really don't know why you're here,"

"I was summoned," Snape drawled, "Are you questioning The Dark Lord, Bellatrix?"

Bellatrix snarled, glaring at him as her hand twitched to her wand for a moment, though after a slight pause she merely shook her head and carried on, apparently deciding to ignore the man, "The Hogwarts Express has just left Hogsmeade, ready to take all the ickle students back home for Christmas. Ready to celebrate with their families, safe and sound . . . except for one. Rabastan, Rodolphus, Nymphadora, you three are to intercept the train and retrieve one, bring her back here."

"Who?" Dora asked, returning her Aunt's smirk.

"Luna Lovegood," Bellatrix shrugged, "her father has been spreading nasty lies and false hopes for the rebels. He needs to be taught a lesson. Snape, make sure she is on that train, then go to meet her father, let him know that such disobedience will not be tolerated."

"How are we supposed to stop the train?" Rabastan frowned.

"You're a wizard, are you not?" Bellatrix asked, a look of amazement at his stupidity, "I don't care how you do it, just do it."

"I know a way," Rodolphus sighed.

"Good," Bellatrix chimed, "now, any more idiotic questions? Snape?"

"Are you coming with us?" Nymphadora asked, sure she had not asked a stupid question but she realised the flinch her Aunt gave as she tried to stop herself rolling her eyes.

"No," Bellatrix said calmly, smirking at the girl, " _you_ can lead this one."

" _Me_?" Dora asked.

"Yes . . ." Bellatrix mused, "now go. Dora, come and find me when the girl is safely locked away in the cellar."

Bellatrix did not wait for a response, not glancing at any of them as she near enough skipped from the room. Snape was no better, looking to the three remaining Death Eaters for a moment before he went from the room.

"Well then, Nymphie," Rabastan huffed, "You're in charge."

"Don't sound so jealous," Dora smirked, "come on."

After Nymphadora had made sure to use the toilet (cursing her seemingly shrinking bladder all the while), they quickly left the manor. Nymphadora instructed them to disaparate to a point in the tracks that the Hogwarts Express was to arrive in shortly, a flat area in the countryside with not a single building or living creature to be seen. She instructed Rabastan to go to the other side of the track, Rodolphus would stop the train and then come to cover the other side of the tracks. With the pair of them on watch she was sure no student could escape The Hogwarts Express. Though she had more plans in place for this if needed. Rodolphus did briefly wonder aloud as to if it was wise to enter the train alone, but Nymphadora laughed. The mere sight of a Death Eater such as herself should soon strike fear into the students and they would not be likely to retaliate, but she agreed she would signal for help if needed merely to shut Rodolphus up.

As the distant puffs of white smoke from the scarlet steam train made an appearance in the distance Nymphadora smirked, nodding to Rodolphus as he fell into position. The train soon came speeding into view and Nymphadora could not help but look from the train to the man on the tracks in anticipation, biting her lip as she was sure the train would get to him before he could even attempt to slow it. But he raised his hand, concentrating intensely as the train seemed to lose its speed.

The train stopped, Rodolphus looking to Nymphadora for a moment before with a silent nod she made her way to the train. She could see the children at the windows, their eyes widening in fright as some scrambled away. She ignored it, reaching a door to a compartment and with a quick flick of her wand she tore it open.

There were three children in the carriage she had chosen, none looked older than thirteen and one of the Gryffindor's seemed to be sporting a fresh scar on their cheek as he glared up at her defiantly. She shook her head at the notion and carried on in her pursuit walking into the main walkway of the train. There was an older Hufflepuff girl stood at the window of the next compartment, quickly pulled back by her companion. It seemed to be more of the same as she walked down the train, some students staring, others cowering further back into their compartments, though a few older students smirked or cheered as they noticed her and she recognised them to be children of Death Eaters. She was starting to wonder where on earth this Lovegood girl was hiding when a familiar blonde head emerged into the walkway.

"Draco," Dora smiled, "how are you?"

"Fine," the boy said, though his voice was strained and he quickly glanced at her drawn wand, "why are you here?"

"Orders," Dora shrugged, a slow smirk falling onto her lips, "care to help?"

Draco hesitated for a moment before he gave a small nod, "What are you doing?"

"Fetching," Dora said simply, aware that the playful nature of her Aunt Bellatrix had somehow rubbed off on her as she grinned, "looking for Lovegood, Luna Lovegood. Know where she is?"

"Why do you want her?" Draco frowned.

"Questions are for after." Dora said, "If I take too long Rab and Rod may get a little worried and come looking for me."

"Right," Draco said, paling slightly, "she's down the end I think. With Weasley, come on."

"Ronald Weasley?" Dora frowned, following the boy to the back of the train.

"No, his equally annoying sister," Draco murmured, stopping short of the last carriage door.

Dora peered around the boy, smirking as she recognised the two faces within, the red-haired girl glaring furiously at her as Luna merely stared at her with a questioning look. She stepped forward, passing Draco as she pulled open the door to the compartment.

"Well, looky who we have here," Dora raised an eyebrow, leaning on the frame of the door as she pointed her wand in their general direction, "I believe we've met before. Briefly though, shame, we must catch up."

Ginny continued her furious glare, her hand discreetly going to the depths of her robes for her wand though she wasn't quick enough as Nymphadora quickly accio'd the wood and dropped it at her feet.

"Now now, play nice." Dora rolled her eyes, "It's not you I've come for Weasel. Not _today_."

"I won't let you hurt Luna!" Ginny said, standing up in front of her friend.

"It's okay, Ginny," Luna said, an airy tone about her voice as she looked to Draco and then Nymphadora.

"It's not okay," Ginny near enough growled.

"Well, it's going to happen either way so I suggest you step aside little girl and let me get on with my business here," Dora sighed.

"Step aside, Weasley," Draco said from behind Dora, his own wand now drawn but not pointed at anyone.

"Is this about The Quibbler?" Luna asked, looking up to Dora with an eerie calmness.

"I'd say it was safe to assume so," Dora took a step forward, smirking as Ginny didn't move an inch. She reached out her free hand, letting out a huff of laughter as she grabbed her chin and leant in so that their noses were practically touching, "You know, your family are skating on thin ice little lady, just one more toe out of line and . . ." she grinned Ginny flinched, "best to keep in line, isn't it?"

She let go of the girl, pushing her slightly as she went to pass her. The sudden sharp sting and echo of a slap was almost enough to throw the older witch off guard, gasping in shock that the girl had the nerve to do it more than the pain of it as she watched the girl scramble to get to her wand. She kicked out her foot to connect with her stomach, watching the girl fly backwards as her friend jumped out of the way just in time in order to stop herself being flattened.

"Naughty!" Nymphadora growled, " _Crucio_!"

Screams rebounded off of the walls, the cries of the red-haired girl combining with the yells of fright in the distance from students who feared what they could only imagine was happening. She watched as the little girl twisted and turned on the floor, clawing at her robes for some sense of relief. She let the girl struggle for a few moments longer before she released her spell, closing the small gap between them and snarling as she leant over her exhausted form.

"I'll let you have one," Dora hissed, "you've got guts."

Ginny glared up at her despite her pain as she panted for breath, knowing that it was useless to fight her she merely watched as Nymphadora grabbed the arm of her friend.

"Lock her in here and keep the rest of the train in line, Draco," Dora said, still sneering down at the young girl, "I'll see you later for dinner, perhaps I'll let you join in on the fun with this one."

To her surprise Luna Lovegood did not struggle, letting her pull her to the nearest exit and watching her throw the door open. She merely let out a yell of surprise as she was thrown out of the train and onto the mud before them. It wasn't long until the train started up again, Rodolphus and Rabastan at her side.

"Lock her in the cellar," Dora commanded, "I have better things to be doing than wasting my time on her."

With that Nymphadora disapparated, arriving back at the manor she made sure that the other two had arrived with their newest prisoner before she strode off to report to her Aunt.

 


	44. Revelations

The minutes turned into hours, the hours into days, the days into weeks, all in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Such was the way in Malfoy Manor. Nymphadora had thought that once the Ministry had fallen that there would be more to do, that she would be out of the Manor most days reeking havoc with her Aunt or helping rule the country in their new regime. But this was not the case. At first she thought it was the fact she was pregnant, unable to live up to her full duties with a stomach now the size of an overgrown pumpkin at eight and a half months pregnant, but it seemed the case for everyone. Yes the rest got to go out on the occasional raid, though she had only stopped going on these in the last couple of months and even these seemed few and far between. She was in the middle of a war and had hardly anything to do or show for it, ferreted away in Malfoy Manor barely better off than she had been as a wanted criminal.

She walked the hallways to pass the time, nodding in acknowledgement to the odd Death Eater she would see within the manor. She did this most days, walking around until her feet were swollen and she had to resign herself to bed. But Nymphadora Tonks was not the sort of person to sit around doing nothing all day.

"Nymphadora!" Narcissa raised her voice as she saw the younger witch attempting to sneak out of the back door to the manor, "What did I tell you about running around the Manor alone?"

"I'm hardly running now, am I?" Dora scoffed, turning to face her Aunt with a raised eyebrow.

"You're due any day now." Narcissa sighed, shaking her head.

"I have a few weeks left," Dora said, resting against the door frame and hiding a small wince of pain.

"That means nothing," Narcissa scoffed, "Draco was nearly a whole month early and apparently all of my mother's children were too, it runs in the family."

Dora frowned, furrowing her brows, "I don't think going into labour early is something that can be hereditary, Aunt Cissa."

"Well, best to be careful," Narcissa rolled her eyes, walking up to the witch and taking her arm in her own, "I know for a fact that you are clumsy enough without carrying that child around, being so pregnant is enough to throw any woman off balance."

"Thanks," Dora scoffed, she winced again, though this time she was not as skilled at hiding the gesture.

"What's wrong?" Narcissa frowned, "Baby kicking?"

"No . . ." Dora sighed, shaking her head, "just cramps."

"Cramps?" Narcissa looked at the girl carefully, "What sort of cramps?"

"They're nothing," Dora shook her head, "barely twinges, I've been having them all day."

"Nymphadora!" Narcissa hit the girls arm.

"Hey!" Dora whined, "Don't go hitting pregnant women, I'll hit you back you know."

"Save your strength," Narcissa said, shaking her head as she took her arm back in her own and began to direct her away from the back door, "you'll need it."

"Where are we going?" Dora huffed, getting irritated at the woman though she followed her regardless, "I want to go out in the garden, I need fresh air."

"You need your bed," Narcissa said firmly, helping her niece as she got to the stairs, "you can't have a baby out in my gardens."

"What?" Dora frowned, grunting slightly as another wave of pain came over her, "Aunt Cissa I'm not going to—" her face paled and she froze as she looked to her Aunt with wide eyes and a hint of fear, "I'm not in labour. It's just cramps."

"I don't think it is," Narcissa shook her head, "Come on, we'll get a better idea of it once we've gotten you into bed."

Nymphadora didn't argue, stunned into silence as she followed her Aunt without another word.

* * *

"I swear to fucking Salazar if you do not get me a pain killing potion right now I will make sure both of you feel every single inch of pain I'm experiencing tenfold!" Nymphadora screeched, her hair a mess of white and red, her face covered in sweat and the nightdress she had changed into what seemed like days ago now bunched up to her waist.

"Charming," Bellatrix scoffed, looking to her sister with a small smirk, "and here we are trying to help you."

"If you are trying to help me then get it out of me!" Nymphadora cried, shaking as she gripped tightly onto Bellatrix's hand she rested her head on her shoulder in her exhaustion.

"Dora, you're not far off now," Narcissa said softly, trying to reassure the girl, though she winced as she replied.

"You said that an hour ago!" Dora growled, turning her head to glare at the blonde witch, "And the hour before that!"

"Well . . ." Narcissa sighed, "babies come in their own time, Dora,"

"So stop telling me I'm nearly there if you don't know when it will be!" Dora cried, tears now streaming down her face, "Where's Barty?"

"He's been called out, darling," Bellatrix said carefully. In truth she had no idea where he was, she had tried to look for him a few times since Dora had gone into labour, the last time being told by Rab that he was last seen drinking in the library. But when she went looking she couldn't find him there.

"I-Ah!" Dora screamed in agony, gripping onto her Aunt's hand even tighter as she gritted her teeth through the pain.

"That's it, Dora!" Narcissa encouraged her, "Oh—I can see the head!"

"I can't!" Dora cried, falling back on the bed, panting for air as she shook her head at the pain.

"You have to!" Narcissa said, "They're almost—!"

"Don't you dare!" Dora hissed.

"Dora," Bellatrix sighed, taking the flannel from the side and wiping away the girl's sweat from her forehead, "you've endured worse pain than this, you can get through this, you just need to work at it."

"I can't," Dora whimpered.

"Fine," Bellatrix shrugged, "be weak, it's only your child's safety you're putting at risk by not doing what your body tells you to."

Dora hesitated for a moment before she growled, sitting up as best she could she gripped onto the bannister with her spare hand, pushing down on her Aunts hand with her other as she didn't realise the small triumphant smirk her Aunt gave. It took a mere minutes after that. Soon the screams of the mother died and the cries of a new babe entering the world began. Nymphadora fell back into her pillows, releasing her Aunt's hand as she looked at her other Aunt, now cradling a scwalling, red-haired baby in her arms as she wrapped her in a towel. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight and as Bellatrix adjusted her pillows for her with a casual flick of her wand and Dora knew her hair had gone bright pink without having to see it.

"What is it?" Dora asked, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

Narcissa smiled, looking to her sister for a moment as she walked over to take a closer look at the child before went over to its mother. "It's a girl, Nymphadora," Narcissa spoke softly, placing the little girl in her mother's arms.

"A-A girl?" Dora breathed, though the minute the child was in her arms she could think of no more words to speak. The moment the girl was put in her arms she calmed as if she knew she was her mother. Her hair calmed with her, the red soon fading into what must have been her natural dark brown and she looked towards her mother as she grabbed tightly onto the finger she offered. "She's beautiful . . ."

"Cassiopeia . . ." Bellatrix hummed, tilting her head as she looked at the pair, ignoring her sister as she cleaned the mess, "bit of a mouthful."

"Cassie for short . . ." Dora said, not once taking her eyes off of her little girl as she smiled, "it's not like Nymphadora isn't a mouthful."

"I think it's pretty," Narcissa said, "I—"

The women froze as the door swung open, Rodolphus pushing in Barty Crouch Jr "Get off me!" Barty growled though Rodolphus had already closed the door on the man before he could get a view of what was going on within the room himself.

"Barty?" Dora called softly to the man, smiling as he turned and all anger from his face disappeared.

"Better late than never," Bellatrix hissed under her breath.

"Come on, Bella," Narcissa said quickly before her sister began an argument with the man (though from the dazed look on his face as he stared at Nymphadora and their child she thought it unlikely), "let's leave them to it."

Bellatrix gave the man a final glare before with a nod and without another word she left the room with Narcissa. Nymphadora tried to sit up in the bed slightly better, wincing at her pain and shushing the little girl in her arms as she made a small whine of protest.

"Shhh . . ." Dora murmured as she kissed her head, "it's okay, Mummy's here . . . and Daddy, albeit a little late."

"I—I didn't know," Barty murmured, regaining the ability to move from his stunned state to slowly approach the bed, "What is . . ."

"It's a girl," Dora smiled as Barty gingerly sat on the bed next to her, "little Cassiopeia Dora Crouch."

"Can I . . . ?" Barty nodded to the child, unable to help his smile as he carefully took her in his arms, "Cassie . . . she has my eyes."

"For now," Dora smirked, resting her head on Barty's shoulder as she stared down at the small child, "takes after me."

"Of course . . ." Barty rocked the girl in his arms for a few moments, staring deeply into her eyes as she clung to his robes, "I'm sorry I wasn't—"

"It's fine," Dora shook her head, sighing as she closed her eyes, "just stay here now, okay?"

"Okay . . ." Barty murmured in reply, watching his little girl long after Nymphadora had even fallen asleep.

* * *

"She's so peaceful when she's sleeping . . ." Dora murmured as she stared down at her blonde haired child sleeping peacefully in her cot, "she's beautiful."

"She is," Bellatrix agreed, adjusting her nearly one-year-old daughter on her lap as the little girl tugged a little too harshly at her mother's long black curls, "How are you coping, Dora?"

"Fine . . ." Dora said casually, walking over to her bed to sit next down her Aunt, "Tired . . . I haven't slept much the last few weeks."

"Do you not have Barty to help you?" Bellatrix raised her eyebrow, sighing as her daughter wriggled down to get to her previously abandoned toy on the floor.

"He . . ." Dora shook her head, "he isn't around much. He has a lot of raids to go on of late."

"He should be here," Bellatrix said firmly, "Cassiopeia is his responsibility as much as she is yours."

"It's fine, Aunt Bella," Dora sighed, forcing a slight smile, "Aunt Cissa said men don't see their children too much anyway, it's just the way it is. I mean . . ." Dora looked down to little Delphi playing on the floor, wondering if she dared to say what she was thinking.

"The Dark Lord is a completely different situation," Bellatrix said, a tone of warning in her voice as Dora did not have to speak her thoughts for her to know what she was thinking, "as are you and Barty. He spent nearly every day with you before . . . and most days when you were pregnant."

"It's fine, I—"

"It is not fine!" Bellatrix hissed.

"Ma!" Delphi snapped from the floor in protest of the woman's sudden shouting.

Nymphadora quickly threw a silencing ward around her daughter's cot, biting her lip as she watched her stir for a moment she only addressed her Aunt again when she was sure she was not going to wake.

"He should be helping you," Bellatrix said firmly, "how often has he seen Cassie since she's been born?"

"I don't know," Dora said.

"Liar," Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"Fine," Dora rolled her eyes, "probably five? Maybe six?"

"She is three weeks old, Nymphadora!" Bellatrix said, "He lives in the same Manor as you!"

"He's been busy!" Dora yelled back. "I—"

Both witches paused as cries could be heard from the floor, the young girl was seemingly not happy to see her cousin and mother argue. Bellatrix did not hesitate to pick up her child, kissing her head and stroking her hair as she gradually calmed her. Delphi had her arms wrapped around her mother's neck, her head resting on her shoulder as she sniffed every now and then.

"I'll have words with him," Bella practically whispered.

"Don't," Dora rolled her eyes, "it's fine, Aunt Bella."

"Rodolphus warned him . . ."

"Warned him about what?" Dora asked, her eyes widening slightly in concern, "When on earth did Uncle Rod talk to Barty about me and Cassie for?"

"Don't worry yourself over it," Bellatrix shook her head, standing up as she cradled her daughter in her arms, "Delphi is tired, I'm going to put her to sleep and maybe go out for a little while. You can join me if you want to? Cissa would be more than willing to babysit both of the girls."

"No," Dora murmured, her gaze falling back to her sleeping daughter, "I might have a sleep. They say you should sleep when they sleep, don't they?"

"They do," Bellatrix agreed, hesitating for a moment before she leant down and kissed her niece's hair, "rest. I'll come check on you both later."

Dora nodded and watched the pair leave her room. She tried not to think about what on earth her Uncle had said to the father of her child, though thought she may have to talk to him about the matter soon to find out. She laid back onto her bed, staring at her daughter she was sure she could watch her all day and not become bored of the pastime, but soon the sleep deprivation caught up on her. Within a matter of minutes, Nymphadora Tonks was fast asleep.

* * *

Bellatrix came back to the manor a few hours later. There was blood on her robes and her hair was wild from her antics but she had a satisfied smirk on her cold features all the same. It had helped to blow off some steam, to watch the pathetic muggles squirm and die at her own hand as she relished in the freedom this new regime in the wizarding world allowed her. She had calmed considerably. Though as she made her way back towards her room she was soon reminded of the reason she had gained the need to blow off some steam in the first place. Barty Crouch didn't look at her as he walked out of his room, she waited to see if he was going to see Nymphadora, though the man kept his head down and walked with purpose as he went straight past the door.

"Where are you going?" Bellatrix asked, raising an eyebrow at the man as he turned to face her with an almost defensive look on his features.

"Out," Barty said, "not that it's any of your business."

"Why are you going out?" Bellatrix asked, her previous satisfied smirk now completely gone.

"Again, don't think that's any of your business." Barty rolled his eyes, going to turn to leave the witch behind him before he hissed in pain. He turned to see Bellatrix glaring at him, her wand drawn from the small stinging hex she had thrown at him, "What was that for?"

"I was talking to you," Bellatrix sneered, "do not walk away from me. Why aren't you with Nymphadora?"

"Why would I be with Nymphadora?" Barty asked, "I have things to be doing."

"You do not," Bellatrix yelled, "you are creating things to be doing so that you can leave Nymphadora alone with the baby and shirk your responsibilities!"

"Excuse me?" Barty scoffed.

"You have seen that child no more than six times in the three weeks she has been alive!" Bellatrix tightened her grip on her wand, not missing the fact that Barty had now drawn his own wand, "She needs you."

"Cassie is _three weeks old_ , as you have said," Barty sneered, "she has her mother and that's all she needs right now."

"Her mother is not getting enough sleep! She needs help! You should be the one to help her, this should not be Nymphadora's responsibility alone when it was the both of you that created that little girl, no matter how careless you were being and no matter if it was a mistake or not!"

"Why do you care?" Barty laughed, "Why on earth are you so concerned if Dora has had a little less sleep?"

"She needs your help," Bellatrix glared furiously, considering if she should just curse the man where he stood, especially as he walked closer to her, "she can't do this alone."

"You didn't answer my question, Trixie," Barty laughed, " _Why do you care?_ You've never cared about Nymphadora, not truly—not as much as she thinks you do at least."

Bellatrix merely glared more furiously at the man, her eye twitching slightly in her anger at his accusation though unwilling to admit her feelings for Nymphadora (or any other person for that matter) to Barty Crouch of all people.

"Don't deny it, do you?" Barty laughed yet again, "You pretend to care, you help her and care for her and took her in when she was a child. But that wasn't for her benefit, was it? It was for yours."

"How dare you—"

"There's no need to deny it," Barty shrugged, "Rod told me and Rab one night when we were drinking. How you didn't even know she existed until you saw her as a child, how you saw her powers and decided that she would be the best little tool for The Dark Lord when he came back to power—how proud he would be of you for presenting him with a servant with such abilities! How you manipulated her into thinking that you were the only one she could trust, how you were so proud when you finally got her away from your blood traitor sister. Though no, I suppose you care for her a little, but Rod said that only began when she was a teenager—what happened there to melt your ice heart a little Bellatrix?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Bellatrix gritted her teeth.

"I think I do," Barty said, his gaze flickering behind Bellatrix for a split second before he carried on, "you only wanted Dora for her powers, you would have killed her the first chance she got for being your blood traitor sisters offspring if she was just another half-blood witch."

"You think you're so clever," Bellatrix snarled, "I could kill _you_ the first chance I get if you're not careful. I care for Dora a hell of a lot more than you do."

"I doubt it," Barty raised an eyebrow, "I took an interest in Dora because I liked her as a person, you took an interest in her because of her magic. You tricked her, used her, played her like a fool, she—"

"Stop it," the voice was calm, so quiet that it was barely audible, though Barty saw the woman's lips move and couldn't help but smirk at the wide-eyed look of horror that fell over Bellatrix Lestrange's features as she clearly heard her niece as well.

Bellatrix attempted to compose herself, closing her eyes for a moment to gather herself before she slowly turned to face her niece. The woman stood in the doorway of her bedroom, her expression void of emotion in such a way that Bellatrix was sure Narcissa would be proud of. She stared at her Aunt, not saying a word.

"Dora, I—"

"Cassie's due to wake up soon," Dora said casually as she moved her gaze to look at Barty, "I was going to give her bath. Will you help me?"

"Of course," Barty said without hesitation.

He walked straight past Bellatrix, trying to keep at least some of the amusement off of his features as he walked over to Dora. He pressed a kiss on her cheek, lingering there for a moment though her gaze was now firmly fixed upon her Aunt again. Dora waited for Barty to enter her room, letting herself stare at her flustered Aunt for a few more moments before without another word she turned away and closed the door behind her.

 


	45. Prisoner

Barty walked over to his sleeping daughter "Silver hair today, hmm?" he murmured.

Nymphadora watched the man in silence, leaning against the door as she watched him stroke the little girl's cheek. She didn't say a word, watching him in silence before he went to pick the girl up. "Leave her," Dora said, "let her sleep as long as she will."

"You said she needed a bath," Barty said, turning around to face the woman.

"You don't wake a baby when they're sleeping, Barty," Dora rolled her eyes, hesitating for a moment before she went to sit on her bed.

Barty watched her for a few moments, eventually letting out a small sigh and sitting next to the woman. She looked void of emotion, staring at her reflection in the dressing table mirror on the opposite side of the room. He waited a little while, sitting without saying a word until he slowly reached over to take her hand in her own. She snatched it away, causing the man to frown slightly at the woman's reaction.

"Why did you have to argue with Bellatrix like that?" Dora breathed, closing her eyes as she let out a deep breath.

"I was only defending you—"

"You weren't," Dora said firmly, looking to the man, "you were defending yourself and using our relationship as cannon fodder to piss her off. Did you think I'd come find you cursed and feel sorry for you? Or did you think I'd thank you for saying such things to her?"

"Dora I—" Barty sighed, standing up again and looking down at the witch in confusion, "she's been using you your entire life, Dora. I'm sorry you had to find out this way but—"

"I didn't 'find out' _that way_ ," Dora scoffed, raising an eyebrow as the man looked at her in his confusion, "Do you think I'm a fool?"

"You knew?" Barty frowned, "How did you find out?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Dora shook her head, "I've known for a long time. I didn't need to be told—unlike you apparently."

"You figured it out on your own?" Barty asked, "Then why—Why are you still here?"

Dora couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "I figured it out when I was younger—much younger. I had my suspicions for a long time, ever since I started Hogwarts and we would still meet in secret despite my parents being nowhere near Hogsmeade. I didn't think I was 'good enough' for her as a girl. When I found out she was a Death Eater my suspicions grew and then when I left my childhood home to live with her, I heard her talking to my mother when she thought I'd gone up to my room. I knew she was revelling in the fact she'd taken me from her just as Mum had taken herself away from her when they were young. The older I got the more I came to understand and accept the fact that you're right; she probably wouldn't have gone anywhere near me if it wasn't for my abilities."

"Yet you still let her use you," Barty seemed more confused than he had before now, watching the witch stand and walk over to their daughter who seemed to be beginning to stir from her sleep, "why?"

Dora shook her head, turning to face the man, "Do you think that if I didn't _want_ this life I wouldn't have been able to get myself out of it? Regardless of my Aunt's intentions or how she got me to join The Dark Lord . . . I enjoy this life. I _love_ the thrill of a battle, all the magic—dark or otherwise—that she has taught me, I love being in the middle of it all. So what if Aunt Bella thought she could use me like a little puppet when I was a child? For all intensive purposes, I suppose she did. But if it got to that point where I decided I didn't want to join The Dark Lord, if I thought I didn't like this life before I took the mark I knew deep down that I could have run back to my parents and they would have taken me back regardless. But I didn't. Besides it did me no good to make her aware that I knew what she was up to, why would I start that conversation? 'Hi, Aunt Bella, I know manipulated me as a child and didn't actually give a shit about me when I was a kid!'" Dora rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Why start that mess for no reason?"

"But she doesn't care, does that not hurt you?" Barty asked.

"She does care," Dora rolled her eyes, "she may not have when I was a child—and maybe you're right and it only started when I was a teenager—but so what? She was there when I almost got expelled from school, she was there when I practically begged her to come 'rescue me' from my childhood home, she was there when I wasn't treated fairly by my classmates, she was there when I found out I was pregnant and she was there when I gave birth. Which I believe is more than you can say you were."

"I was out, Dora," Barty protested, "If I had known—"

"Yes, that's why Uncle Rod had to practically throw you into the room," Dora said sarcastically, "you seemed more than willing to be there for me."

". . . I was scared," Barty muttered.

"You didn't want to be a father," Dora shook her head, "I can't say I wanted to be a mother at this stage in my life either. But I love Cassiopeia, with all of my heart and I'll be there for her no matter what."

"I—" Barty shook his head, "She's my daughter."

"I know," Dora sighed, reaching to pick the now whimpering child out of her cot and holding her to her chest as she kissed her head and rubbed her back, "but I think people think I'm more naïve or dumber than I actually am. I notice things, Barty. Either you're here for her one hundred percent or you can walk away right now and be done with it. I'll even tell Aunt Bella and Uncle Rod not to come hurt you for it—because the pair of them do care for me and they would be likely to hurt you if they thought you'd hurt me."

Barty stared at the young woman and his child, not noticing from the calm and collected look on the woman's face that she was holding her breath, not daring to think about what was going to happen next. After what seemed like hours but was, in fact, mere seconds Barty Crouch Jr moved his feet. Nymphadora felt relief rush over her as he walked up to her and gently took the child from her arms.

"You said she needed a bath?" Barty asked, cradling his daughter to his chest.

"Yes," Dora nodded, swatting away a single tear as the man was distracted by the baby, "I'll help you and then you can keep an eye on her whilst I go see Aunt Bella."

"Is that wise?" Barty raised an eyebrow, "Do you not think she'll be a bit . . . well, she's not going to be in the best of moods if she thinks you've only just figured this out."

"You underestimate women," Dora shook her head, "I think she knew I knew, this just . . . confirms it all."

"So you don't think she'll be . . ."

"It might have been different if I was still a child," Dora rolled her eyes, "but I'm not. Though she probably thinks I hate her now."

"But you don't . . ."

"No," Dora scoffed, "I could never. Regardless of her intentions, I believe it's still worked out for the best. Merlin knows what sort of person I would have turned out to be if she hadn't had found me as a child. Probably some poor Ministry lacky."

"Or maybe you'd have ended up on the other side," Barty smirked, "running around with the Order's lot."

"Failing miserably, getting killed off every other day and forced into hiding," Dora laughed, "Please, I would not join Dumbledore and his band of fools. Now come on, let's get her washed."

Barty nodded, laughing to himself at the thought of Nymphadora being on the other side, he couldn't imagine her any other way than the way she was now. He followed the mother of his child, carefully cradling his daughter as they left the room.

* * *

Nymphadora left Barty and Cassie nearly an hour later, having made sure their child was bathed and fed she decided he was more than capable of looking after the little girl on his own as she went to try and rectify whatever mood her Aunt had been put in after her little run in with Barty. She took a deep breath before she knocked gently on the door to her Aunts room.

"Who is it?" Bellatrix replied after a few moments.

"Just me," Dora said, "Dora."

There was another pause. Nymphadora was beginning to think that her Aunt wasn't going to let her into her room, she was almost ready to knock or call out again when the door swung open. Bellatrix was stood on the opposite side of the room, resting against her bedside table as she looked at the woman in silence. Nymphadora stepped within the room, closing the door behind her she hesitated for a moment before she looked back to her Aunt, unsure of what to say or do now that she was face to face with the woman again. Her gaze flickered to the little girl playing with her building blocks on her mother's bed.

"Where's Cassie?" Bellatrix was the one to break the silence.

"With her father," Dora said.

Bellatrix nodded, looking at her daughter as she folded her arms, "How much . . . How much did you hear?"

"All of it," Dora shrugged, "well I assume it was all of it. I was sleeping, woke up around about when you were yelling at Barty for not seeing Cassie enough."

"If you're here for a fight I ask that you refrain from yelling," Bellatrix said casually as she moved to sit next to her daughter on the bed, stroking the girl's silver locks out of her face, "or at least let me put Delphi in the nursery first."

"I'm not here to shout at you," Dora rolled her eyes.

"Oh?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, "Not taking Barty's word that I'm an uncaring monster of a woman?"

"I thought you thrived on people thinking you're a monster?" Nymphadora couldn't help but let out a small huff of laughter, "No, I don't believe that you're totally uncaring . . . but I know Barty said the truth of things."

Neither woman spoke for a moment, Bellatrix watching the witch carefully as she walked over to sit on the end of the bed, watching Delphini play. ". . . Because you already believed you knew the truth of it?"

"Believed?" Dora raised an eyebrow, "I know the real reason you befriended me as a child, I may not have when I was younger but I have known for some time. And yes, maybe you would have killed me there and then if you didn't see an advantage for yourself and The Dark Lord in my powers."

Bellatrix stared at the young witch, considering her for a moment before she let herself shrug slightly, "Perhaps . . . But Barty did get something wrong."

"Oh?" Dora raised an eyebrow.

"I—" Bellatrix shook her head, concentrating on her daughter as she summoned one of the blocks she had thrown across the room and handed it back to her, "I've always cared for you a little. Maybe not when I first saw you, maybe not until you'd reached Hogwarts and maybe not that much until . . . perhaps when you were a teenager. But I do care for you now. I would care if someone hurt you, I would care if you left . . ."

"You'd have to kill me if I left," Dora scoffed.

"I would be told to . . ." Bellatrix said, "but you wouldn't do that."

"No," Dora took a deep breath, "I don't want to . . . I could have left at any point before I was marked—and I'd pretty much figured it out before then, I just didn't want to admit it to myself, I suppose . . ."

"Do you hate me?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow.

"No," Dora said, smirking slightly, "I know you care about me, merlin you'll barely admit that you love Uncle Rod so if you admit that you care for me than you must care for me a great deal."

Bellatrix matched the girl's smirk, "You remind me of your mother sometimes."

Nymphadora raised both of her eyebrows, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the older witch, "Here I am trying to be nice and you sit there insulting me."

"It's not an insult," Bellatrix shook her head, "just this once. She . . . had a way of reading people rather well. You do that too."

"So long as that's our only similarity," Dora rolled her eyes.

Bellatrix smirked again, "No, you're more like me than your mother in most other ways."

"I—"

Both women froze on the spot, feeling the knock of the wards echoing throughout the manor. Bellatrix stood straight to her feet, picking up her daughter and kissing her head before she laid her down on her pillows. She drew her wand and quickly cast a sleeping charm on her. Dora bit her lip, wondering if she should go back to her daughter and Barty (the man would probably not think to put a sleeping charm on her or else he would most likely stay with her rather than show his face near Bellatrix so soon), but Bellatrix grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door with her. The two witches didn't speak a word as they made their way to the front of the manor.

"I'll get it," Narcissa called as she walked up behind the pair just as they reached the front doors to the manor, "this is still my home you know."

"And if you're certain it's merely a house guest calling for tea you are more than welcome to answer it," Bellatrix mocked her sister as she hesitated, "Come with us if you like, sister."

Nymphadora followed her Aunt through the door, peering down to the main gates at the end of the long driveway she could see a group of figures behind the barriers. She didn't question Bellatrix, catching sight of Narcissa's red face as the pair of them decided to follow her to the end of the drive. But Narcissa took hold of her arm as they were around ten feet from the gate, causing her to stop to let Bellatrix go ahead of her. She frowned in confusion, looking to Narcissa, though the older witch had gone paler than usual, her eyes slightly wider. It was only as Bellatrix let out a cackle of delight that she realised what had happened. They had prisoners.

 


	46. Malfoy Manor

Nymphadora paced the main hall of Malfoy Manor, her gaze flickering around to each person in the room. Bellatrix had a shit eating grin on her face, leering down at the young man she had on his knees in front of her in the middle of the room. The snatchers and Fenrir were stood to the side, the two snatchers gripping tightly onto their two captors. She did not believe the names the trio had given the snatchers, the ginger boy looked familiar, the girl seemed far too nervous (though she could hardly blame her when she was in the presence of two renowned Death Eaters and the boy . . . she was inclined to believe her Aunt's suspicions that he had to be Harry Potter.

"Draco!" Bellatrix beamed as the three Malfoy's entered the room.

Dora stopped pacing, turning to face her cousin. It always shocked her how much older, how much more pained and almost sickly looking he appeared to be more recently. The boy was certainly not thriving under the rule of the Death Eaters, though she could hardly imagine why he would not be pleased with The Dark Lord's success, he would rise high in this new world if only he allowed himself to.

"Aunt Bella thinks this sorry soul is Potter," Nymphadora chimed, smirking as the boy temporarily tore her gaze away from the boy to look to her, "though we can't be sure."

"Well?" Bellatrix looked at her nephew, grabbing hold of the boy on the floor by his hair and raising his head to face him.

"I—" Draco hesitated, "I don't know,"

"Get a closer look," Dora said, catching her Aunt Cissa's gaze for a moment before she walked over to her cousin and took her to the boy, "he does look rather like him . . ."

"W-What happened to his face?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Bellatrix frowned, letting go of the boy for a moment, "what did happen to his face?"

"Reckon he ran into a stinging hex," one of the snatchers said, "the girl threw something at him."

"Well, check her wand," Dora said, walking over to the girl, she smirked as the young witch shuddered as she stopped in front of her. She held her hand out to the snatcher holding her, not listening to the rest behind her as they argued over their prisoner as she took the wand off of him. She just about to draw her own wand to test for the last spell cast. Though she heard her Aunt laugh as she walked up behind her, as her laugh was cut short for a sharp intake of breath Nymphadora frowned and turned to see the woman staring at shock at the snatchers.

"What's that?" Bellatrix breathed, staring at the sword one of the snatchers was holding by his side, "Where did you get that from?"

"It was in her bag," the snatcher grinned stupidly, clearly unable to tell that Bellatrix Lestrange was not impressed by his discovery, "reckon it's mine now."

It was only from years of knowing her Aunt that Nymphadora knew to act so quickly. She grabbed the girl in front of her, pulling her away from the snatchers and into her own grasp just in time as Bellatrix sent a curse flying at the man instantaneously snatching the sword out of his grasp. The young woman whimpered in her grasp as Lucius jumped just in time to catch the struggling ginger boy before Bellatrix turned her fury onto the man who was previously holding him.

"Out!" Bellatrix screeched, "Get out!"

She didn't even have a chance to take in the amusing sight of the men now clutching at the ropes on their necks or groaning at the spells her Aunt had thrown at them. They didn't need to be told twice. She watched the snatchers attempt to leave the room for barely a moment before her Aunt came over her way, dragging the boy they suspected to be Potter by the scruff of his neck.

"Cissa!" Bellatrix yelled, throwing the boy in her sister's direction as she came over to her and grabbing hold of the other boy only to do the same, "Put the boys in the cellar," she commanded, striding over to the squirming witch in Nymphadora's grasp she grabbed onto her chin. A glint of madness sparkling in her eyes as she was so close to the pair Dora could feel her Aunt's breath "we're going to have a little conversation with this one. _Girl to girl_."

The girl screeched as Bellatrix wrenched her from her niece's grasp, throwing her to the floor in the middle of the room.

"Now, you're going to tell me what I want, aren't you girly?" Bellatrix hummed, she waited for a few moments for the girl to answer, a smirk creeping onto her features as the girl did not respond, "Tell me what I want or this could be rather difficult for you."

Nymphadora walked over to the pair, drawing her own wand she twirled it between her fingers, her gaze meeting her Aunts for a moment in silent understanding. She gave a small nod.

" _Crucio_!" Nymphadora screamed.

The girl instantly screamed, writhing on the floor in agony as she tried to grasp on to anything she could, pulling at her clothes as if she could grasp onto the curse and rip it away from her. Nymphadora only let the curse play out for a few moments before she lifted it, smirking as the girl panted for air, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Just a taste," Nymphadora hummed.

Bellatrix laughed and without warning dropped herself next to the girl, brushing the hair away from her face as she pouted at her, "Hurts, doesn't it?" Bellatrix paused, though when she did not get a response she quickly stuck her own wand into the girl's neck, " _Doesn't it_?"

"Yes!" The young witch cried, trying to flinch away from the wand but Bellatrix merely grabbed her hair and pulled so she was forced to look up at her.

"It could hurt a lot more . . ." Bellatrix murmured as she trailed her wand across the girl's neck, "it could hurt less though . . . we could make it slow and painful . . . or quick . . . and less painful. Now . . . where did you find the sword?"

"W-We found it," Hermione said in as strong of a voice as she could muster.

"Where?" Bellatrix hissed.

"I don't know!" Hermione cried as the witch stuck her wand back into her neck.

"Liar!" Bellatrix hissed.

Nymphadora didn't see what her Aunt had pulled from her skirts until the girl sobbed at the flash of silver in her eye-line. Bellatrix was nearly on top of the girl now. "You won't tell me the truth, will you?"

"Perhaps we should get the goblin," it was not Hermione to speak this time, but Lucius, stood between his family with Peter Pettigrew of all people having snuck into the room behind him, "he will be able to tell us if it is real, for starters."

"Do it," Dora said before her Aunt could speak, she looked over to the rest in the room, "Pettigrew, go fetch the Goblin."

It seemed the whole room flinched collectively as the girl on the floor screamed out in agony again. Nymphadora couldn't help but shake her head as she saw her Aunt seemingly carving something into the girl's arm.

"She'll bleed out if you're not careful," Nymphadora sighed.

"You seem to think I care!" Bellatrix laughed as she continued her plight in scarring the young witch.

Nymphadora sighed as the Goblin was brought before them, watching Bellatrix walk over to the creature when she was done with her little toy, "Get the boys," Dora sighed, "they can watch their little friend die—that might spark something in a way of information."

"I'm not your—"

"Now!" Nymphadora hissed, glaring at the cowering Death Eater before he scurried from the room again.

She walked over to the young witch as Bellatrix questioned the goblin. The woman's eyes were red and puffy from all of her tears, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to ride out the pain still coursing through her from her arm and earlier curses. Nymphadora smirked, she was sure that they would get the information they wanted by the end of the evening. She was lost in her own little world of thought as she focused on the weak pathetic excuse of a witch on the floor in front of her, barely reacting as her Aunt screamed at the goblin for Merlin knew what. She barely noticed that her Aunt was walking back towards her until she was right next to her, pointing her wand at the broken mess of a girl on the floor.

" _Avada_ —"

" _Expeliarmus_!"

Bellatrix shrieked as her wand went flying out of her hand. Narcissa and Draco went forward quickly enough, instantly locking the pair in a duel as spells went flying between them. Nymphadora considered running to join the fight, though before she did she turned to see her Aunt and smirked. The woman had grabbed the girl off of the floor, holding her dagger to her neck as she pulled her head back with a tight grip on her hair.

"Stop!" Bellatrix yelled.

And they obeyed her, the poor boys staring frantically at their friend as they realised their predicament.

"Drop your wands," Dora said casually, pointing her wand at the pair as she tilted her head to the side slightly.

"She said drop them!" Bellatrix commanded and again they obeyed.

The wands clattered to the floor, the sound of wood hitting stone echoing throughout the room. Draco obeyed his Aunt as she instructed him to collect them from the floor. Nymphadora couldn't help but smirk as she watched the dark-haired boy, whatever had been done to his face was starting to lose effect and it quickly became apparent that the boy now standing infront of them was undoubtedly Harry Potter.

"Well well well, look what we have here," Bellatrix grinned, practically whispering as she taunted the girl in her grasp, "he's all bright and shiny and new again, just in time for The Dark Lord . . . Call him."

Nymphadora looked to the Malfoy's, stood to the side in a huddle as if nervous to bring The Dark Lord into their home. It was pathetic, Nymphadora thought, when you took a moment to think about it. The Dark Lord would reward them beyond their wildest dreams if Potter was caught in their home. She was tempted to call their master herself, but as her eyes met that of her Aunt Narcissa she knew deep down that the Malfoys had to be the one to call them. They needed to be able to claim this victory as part of their own (even if they had merely stood to the side, played fetch with the prisoners and Pettigrew and duelled a couple of teenagers).

"Call him!" Bellatrix repeated.

Lucius Malfoy stood forward, hesitation in his every step as he looked at Bellatrix for a moment before he slowly lifted his sleeve to reveal the pitch black skull and snake on his left arm. His hand hovered over his mark for a brief moment, it was clear that he did not want to do as he was told and Nymphadora was ready to give up and call their master herself.

That was when they heard it, the slow squeak of metal on metal coming from above them all. Nymphadora furrowed her brow in confusion, looking up she was unable to stop her jaw dropping slightly at the absurdity of the sight. There, clinging to the chains of the chandelier in a rotten pillowcase and several oddly knitted accessories, sat the Malfoy's old House Elf Dobby. The ridiculousness of the situation was enough to throw them all off guard and it wasn't until the last thread of the screw holding the thing in place was released and the large glass chandelier began to fall as if in slow motion to the ground that Bellatrix moved. She screeched as she threw herself out of the way, completely forgetting her prisoner as even Nymphadora had to dive to the floor to narrowly miss the oncoming broken shards of glass. She hissed at the pain as she fell awkwardly on her side, though she quickly turned on her back and faced their prisoners, ready to reign them back in. To her horror Potter successfully wrangled the wands from Draco, including her cousin's own. She heard a spell thrown by the Potter boy, watching her Uncle go flying backwards as he was unprepared to defend himself. She couldn't believe the sight before her. The recently obtained trio, the goblin and Dobby stood in a cluster together readying for their escape.

"Stupid elf!" Bellatrix screeched, now on her feet as she walked towards the lot, "You could have killed me!"

"Dobby never meant to kill," the elf said proudly as he held his head high, "Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure."

Nymphadora watched as Narcissa narrowed her eyes at the lot, going to throw a curse at them she let out a gasp as the wood vanished from beneath her fingers.

"How dare you take a witches wand!" Bellatrix cried, "How dare you defy your masters!"

"Dobby has no master," the little elf responded proudly, "Dobby is a free elf and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

The elf grabbed the arms of his fellows and went to disaparate. Nymphadora barely noticed the ringing of metal passing her at the exact moment the lot disappeared. The room stood in silence for a few moments as they were left without their prisoners. Bellatrix was the first to move, storming over to the place where they had been mere seconds previously she looked around the floor.

"It's gone," Bellatrix smirked, "got the foul creature—see, blood!"

"Aunt Bella . . ." Nymphadora called, hesitant to disrupt the woman's train of thought, the older witch merely turned and raise an eyebrow to her with her smirk still plastered on her face, "What do we do now?"

The smirk faltered as if Bellatrix had only just come to the realisation of the gravity of their new found situation.

"The rest . . ." Dora shook her head, "they could be gone . . . Draco check the cellar."

Draco didn't hesitate and nobody else argued, the boy quickly ran from the room.

"Did you call him?" Narcissa asked, staring at the broken chandelier on the floor as if scared to make eye contact with anybody.

"No . . ." Lucius said, "he doesn't know."

"But he will," Dora shook her head, "we have to tell him."

"If the other prisoners are still there we won't—"

"We will not keep secrets from our master!" Bellatrix snapped.

"He'll find out," Dora said, "whether we tell him or not he'll find out."

". . . He'll kill us all," Narcissa whispered, her words barely audible in the room but still enough to send shivers down everyone's spines.

Silence hung heavy in the room, silently agreeing to wait for Draco's return until they decided how best to act next. They could hear his footsteps running back to them from down the hall, his shoes slamming against the stone floor in his urgency to reach his family. The doors to the room were flung open and Draco stood there, pale-faced and out of breath. She didn't need him to speak to know what he was going to say next.

"They're gone," he breathed.

"All of them?" Nymphadora was surprised to hear that she still had a voice.

"All of them," he confirmed, "a-and Pettigrew is down there . . . I think he's dead."

Narcissa walked over to her son, not saying a word as she looked into his features, Nymphadora could only imagine what was going through her mind. She didn't want to think about what she would be feeling if Cassie's life was at risk due to such a failure as this one.

"Go," Bellatrix breathed, looking to her sister.

"Bella—"

"He won't kill me," Bellatrix sighed as if resigned to her fate.

"He might—"

"He _won't_!" She hissed.

"I'll stay with you," Nymphadora offered, though she was unsure if she could say with full certainty that The Dark Lord would not kill her for her involvement in this monumental fuck up, she was sure she had a better chance than the Malfoys and did not like the idea of Bellatrix having to report this on her own.

"No," Bellatrix said, she looked almost dazed as she searched for her wand for a moment only to remember she had lost it in their fight, "go to Cassie . . ."

"I—"

"I said go!" Bellatrix glared at her niece for a moment before she looked to the rest of the room, "The lot of you! He'll call you if he likes, but let _me_ report this."

Lucius strode over to his wife and child grabbing them, without further question he took them from the room. He ignored his wife as she glanced back at her sister and closed the door abruptly behind them. Nymphadora stood and listened to their footsteps retreating until they could no longer be heard.

"Are you deaf, girl?" Bellatrix asked, tilting her head to one side as she looked at her niece, "I told you to leave."

"He'll hurt you," Nymphadora said.

To the younger witches surprise Bellatrix merely laughed at this comment, "Then do me a kindness?"

"What is it?" Dora asked.

"Find Roddy," Bellatrix hummed, lifting her sleeve as she readied to call her master, "tell him I'll be in need of his services shortly—he'll know what you mean."

Nymphadora didn't argue any more, she knew it was pointless now. She gave a small nod. Bellatrix nodded towards the door and Nymphadora took a deep breath, she slowly walked past her Aunt, taking hold of her arm only momentarily in a reassuring manner she soon left the room. She tried desperately to ignore the rush of dark magic that pulsed through her mark as she could sense her Aunt had pressed her mark. Their master was on his way. She looked back at the dark wood of the door, imagining her Aunt stood solemnly waiting for her fate. It took more strength than she thought it would to tear herself away, following her Aunt's instructions she near enough ran to her bedroom to find her daughter.


	47. Pain

Bellatrix stood in the middle of the empty room, staring at the shards of glass. They had scattered across the room, the nearest falling just near the tip of her boots. She tilted her head slightly and nudged the jagged shard, watching the reflection of light glittering through the fragment. She considered fixing the thing whilst she waited, for something to do if nothing else. She had called her lord five minutes ago now, though it seemed like a decade ago. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her hand absentmindedly wandering to her empty wand holster. The dark witch let out a small huff of laughter. It was pathetic when she truly thought about it. Six legal aged wizards had been defeated by three children, barely of legal age and a fucking House Elf. She thought of where they may be now. Had they managed to heal the mangey elf? She doubted it. Her aim was true and the splatters of blood on the floor only proved that she had hit a vital part of the elf. Would they mourn such a pathetic, useless creature? Possibly. It gave her at least a small ounce of amusement to think of the boy who lived crying over the cold corpse of her sister's ex-servant. Bellatrix barely flinched as the door of the room opened, it sounded so distant in her mind that she didn't even register who she knew it would be.

"Bellatrix . . ."

The cold voice sounded displeased, she could sense the irritation and confusion in his voice without even looking to him. Though the voice was enough to snap her from her thoughts. She spun on the spot and dropped to bow in the direction of her master, barely taking notice of the sharp sting that shot through her left leg indicating that she had knelt in glass.

"My Lord . . ." She murmured, not daring to look as she could hear his footsteps slowly approach her.

The Dark Lord took his time approaching her, clearly taking in the scene of the room and trying to decipher for himself what had taken place before his arrival. She listened to the gentle swish of the glass clearing from around her, his purposeful steps walking around her before he stopped. He was just behind her.

"Rise, Bella . . ."

She was almost scared to do it, taking advantage of her mess of curls briefly falling in front of her face as she flinched at the thought of what she knew was to come. She slowly drew herself tall, stretching her figure to an upright position step by step until she finally raised her head. The man remained behind her, she was almost grateful as she did not have to stare into his piercing red eyes.

"Why did you call me, Bellatrix?" Lord Voldemort practically whispered, causing a shiver to run down the witches spine as he placed a hand on the woman's hip and slowly turned her to face him. His hand lingered on her wand holster, staring at the empty leather for a moment before looking to the also vacant place she usually slipped her dagger into. "You are wandless."

"Yes, My Lord." Bellatrix was surprised to find that she had the ability to speak at all, though as The Dark Lord removed his hand and brought up his gaze to look directly into her own dark eyes she felt a lump hit her throat. It was as if she already had a constricting hold around her windpipe. She almost wished he would just start with the punishment, save her from having to explain the travesty that had occurred.

"Why did you call me?" The Dark Lord repeated, his emotionless stare boring into her.

". . . Potter . . ." it was all Bellatrix could bring herself to say, she noted the glint in the man's eyes as she said the name.

"You have Potter?" The Dark Lord raised a hairless eyebrow, though as she remained silent his eyes narrowed, "No, if you had Potter you would be singing with joy," he raised his hand to the woman's cheek. It was a gentle touch and to any onlooker it would appear affectionate, loving even, but she knew better and soon enough she felt the dark painful magic crackling underneath his touch as it threatened to rip through her. "If you had Potter you would be grinning ear to ear, skipping and laughing in your little celebrations . . . but you are fearful, you are _wandless_. You are surrounded by evidence of a battle yet there is no Potter in sight."

"My Lord—"

"No excuses, _Lestrange_ ," Voldemort hissed, grabbing hold of the woman's hair and pulling harshly so she was forced to look up at him from an awkward angle, her knees bending slightly to try and take away some of the painful pressure, "What happened? Tell me _now_."

"Th-The snatchers brought three in," Bellatrix gasped through the pain, though she knew it was nothing compared to what she was about to experience.

"Why did you not call me immediately?" Lord Voldemort demanded.

"Th-they gave false names, My Lord." Bellatrix tried as hard as she could to keep her voice calm, though the whimper of pain and fear still crept its way in, "t-two boys and a girl. P-Potter didn't look like Potter, his face was disfigured. Though we had suspicions we wanted to be sure before we disturbed you, My Lord. We-We tried, My Lord—Ah!"

Bellatrix let out a blood-curdling scream, she had not noticed as The Dark Lord had drawn his wand, slowly inching it to her neck. She only realised it's position as the intense agony screamed through every inch of her body like an intense fire, burning her from the inside out. He still gripped firmly onto her hair as she twisted horribly in her grasp, letting the curse play out for a few moments before he stopped. He pulled her to stand, removing his grasp from her hair he barely acknowledged the few strands that had ripped from her scalp falling to the floor as he harshly took her chin in her grasp.

"You said we . . . who else was a part of this?" Voldemort hissed, "Tell me now, Bellatrix!"

"N-Nymphadora, the Malfoys, Pettigrew . . . Pettigrew is dead." Bellatrix whimpered.

"You will show me," The Dark Lord demanded.

"Yes," she breathed, nodding as best as she could she tried to regain her senses to look straight into his eyes.

The moment she was staring into his cold red eyes she felt the onslaught on her mind. It took her a moment to bring down her automatic defences of occlumency but soon enough she could see the events playing in her mind. She was putting Delphi on her bed, she was running to the gates, her thoughts lingered on the disfigured face of the Potter boy for a moment before she was in the Manor with her prisoners. She was commanding Draco to try and identify the boy. She spotted the sword and it was not only her own anger she was reliving but The Dark Lords, his flash of hot white anger crippling her from her own thoughts for a moment before with a whimper she concentrated on the events again. Nymphadora was torturing the girl then Bellatrix was on top of her, branding the witch for what she was. The Goblin was summoned, not giving her the answers she wanted. She was walking back to the girl, ready to end her miserable existence. That was when the battle ensued, brief in its existence as she grabbed the girl. Then there was the elf, Bellatrix simpered in her Master's grasp as he watched the rest of the events unfolded, finally reliving the group's disappearance. The invasion on her mind ceased. Bellatrix fell as she was pushed from her masters grasp.

The silence was deathly. Bellatrix could not help herself as she simpered on the floor, her mind racing as she thought of what her master would do to her. Perhaps she was wrong, perhaps he would kill her. She almost felt relieved at the idea, for she could not stand the thought of failing her master. Though it was with another whimper that she thought of Delphi, she could not leave her motherless. _He_ would not leave his daughter motherless . . . she hoped.

"You lost your wand?" Voldemort's voice was eerily calm.

"Y-Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix breathed.

"You lost all of the prisoners?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix repeated.

"You were defeated by a group of children and an elf?"

"Y-Yes, My Lord," she raised her head slightly to look at the man, almost wishing she hadn't as his glare of disapproval fell upon her. She tried to raise herself slightly but with a slash of the man's wand and a sharp sting on her cheek she was thrown backwards, she felt the hot trickle of blood fall down her cheek as she laid spread out on her back on the floor. She dared not move another inch.

"Where are the others?" The Dark Lord asked, "Why are they not here with you to face their fate?"

"I-I sent them away . . ." Bellatrix said, "M-My Lord . . . the sword."

"You have lost me Potter!" The Dark Lord bellowed, "You lost your wand! You lost all of the prisoners in the manor and yet you still remind me of your failures?!"

Bellatrix whimpered, screwing her eyes shut for a fraction of a second before The Dark Lord stormed over to tower over her, throwing another Cruciatus at the witch. She didn't even notice that she was laying in the broken glass of the chandelier, the shards digging into her back was nothing compared to the agony of her master's wrath.

"You wish to take their punishment, Bella?" The Dark Lord whispered as he lifted the curse, lowering himself to crouch over the broken witch. He brushed the wild hair away from her face, she was too pre-occupied with riding out the residual pain of the latest curse as she forced herself to keep her eyes open and turned her head to look at her master.

"I—I failed you . . ." Bellatrix's voice was raspy, having screamed too fiercely at the last instalment of pain, "I—I was in charge here . . . My Lord . . ."

His thin lips curled slightly for the briefest of moments before he rolled his eyes, slowly drawing himself to his feet. He pointed his wand at the woman, "Very well, Bellatrix . . ."

Bellatrix's eyes were wide as she stared at the tip of his wand, though her fists were clenched as she readied herself for what was to come.

* * *

"Oh dear Merlin . . ." the voice was muffled and distant as if spoken from underwater, though it was most definitely the horrified cry of her niece.

She didn't hear the footsteps but felt the vibrations as they pounded towards her, a weight falling to the floor next to her.

"Bella," she knew Rodolphus was close, though he sounded so far away and as hard as she tried she could not open her eyes. She could not even gather the strength to yell out in pain as he gently placed a hand on her injured face and directed her to where she felt his face mere inches from her own. "Bellatrix look at me!"

She tried, she tried as hard as she could, but the moment she gathered enough strength to open her eyes even slightly she only saw a flash of a fuzzy shadow in front of her before the dim light of the room was suddenly too bright to bear. She let out an involuntary whimper, the sound barely audible as it escaped her lips.

"Open the doors," Rodolphus commanded, pausing for a moment before he spoke again, "stop gaping like an idiot and do as I tell you!"

A blinding pain shot through her as she felt her husband's arms envelop her, her mouth opening in a silent scream as she could not register his hurried whispered apologies.

"Come on, Bella," Rodolphus murmured, "I'm sorry, just stay awake, just stay with me, Bella—"

It was too late, the world went black around her. She was being ran through the halls, barely registering her arms hanging limply down beside her.

"Sh-She'll be okay, right?" Nymphadora panted as she clearly ran beside them.

"Get me the potions kit," Rodolphus growled.

The world went black again. She was being lowered onto a bed, her bed. She briefly thought of Delphi, how she had placed her on the bed what seemed like an age ago. She wondered where the child was, though was soon distracted by the pains surging through her body.

"Get out," Rodolphus hissed as Bellatrix heard the distant clatter of the bag of potions being dropped beside her.

"I can help," Dora argued.

"I said get out!" Rodolphus growled.

"I—" Nymphadora hesitated, "I'll go look after Delphi . . ."

The door closed and Bellatrix could feel herself being pulled into the comfort of the pitch black nothingness of her mind again.

"No!" Rodolphus yelled, he moved his wife's face to the direction of his own again, "You stay with me Bellatrix Black, do you understand me?"

The use of her maiden name amused her, he only called her by such when he was determined to catch her attention, to remind her faintly of their younger days, an almost loving nickname now, that only he was allowed to use. She gathered her strength and forced her eyes open again. It took a while for the room to return from a fuzzy blur, though soon enough she could make out the face of her husband. His features were determined, a steely gaze to anyone who didn't know him as she did, but she could see the worry in his eyes, she could see his love for her. Her mouth twitched into the slightest of smirks.

"There she is," Rodolphus whispered, smiling ever so slightly.

"Rod—" Bellatrix croaked.

"Shh," Rodolphus shook his head, drawing his wand as he pulled away from the witch slightly, "this may hurt . . ."

He was right. Soon he was using every healing spell he knew, forcing potions down her throat as she struggled to maintain consciousness through his efforts. She would not give up, she would fail her lord if she died, she would fail her daughter, she would fail her husband . . . Though soon her body gave in and she fell back into the darkness. She didn't know how long had passed when she finally became aware of her surroundings again. The pain was still apparent, but compared to what she had felt previously it was like she had merely bruised herself all over, compared to having felt like she had severely broken every bone in her body. Maybe she _had_ broken every bone in her body. It wouldn't have surprised her. She tried to mentally assess the damage to herself, though as she became more aware of her surroundings she realised the warm touch of a hand as it enclosed on her own. She twitched her fingers, attempting to grip better onto what she assumed was the hand of her husband.

"Bella?" Rodolphus whispered, weight moving on the bed as she realised he must be sitting perched on the edge.

Bellatrix forced her eyes open, her thoughts confirmed as she saw her husband looking down on her, his head rested in his hand as his elbow rested on his knee, sat frozen with his face in his hand. He was frozen, as if scared to look in case he had imagined the movement.

"Rod . . ." Bellatrix managed to speak, her weak voice barely above a whisper.

The man turned to look at the witch. His eyes were red as if he had been crying, his face pale and seemingly more aged than usual. She couldn't help but think her exploits throughout the years had probably forced the few grey streaks into his hair. He moved carefully, moving off of the bed he crouched over her head, brushing the hair from her face in an undoubtedly affectionate gesture.

"How do you feel?" He murmured.

"I've been better . . ." Bellatrix breathed, "I think I've probably looked better too."

Rodolphus shook his head, the shadow of a smile on his features as he looked to the woman, "I won't deny it . . ."

"But I've looked worse too . . . ?" Bellatrix was almost afraid to know the extent of her injuries.

"You were out for nearly a day . . ." Rodolphus said as he gave a slight nod.

"Not quite the record then . . ."

"No," Rodolphus couldn't help but let out a huff of laughter despite the situation, "that would be three days."

"Mmm," Bellatrix closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on the gentle touch of her husband as he caressed her hair, "where's Delphi?"

"Dora has been looking after her," Rodolphus said.

"She has Cassie . . ."

"Narcissa's been helping," Rodolphus added.

The witch nodded, hissing as even the slight movement caused vibrations in her skull.

"Don't move," Rodolphus said. She felt his weight leave the bed for a moment, not even caring as she felt weakness at her need to have him back with her caressing her hair. She opened her eyes again, watching as he took a potion from the side, pouring a slight amount of steaming liquid into a glass. She tried to sit up slightly but soon whimpered at the effort. "I said not to move, did I not?"

She let out a huff in response as the man walked over to her, a smug smirk playing on his lips for a moment before he sat back next to her. "I'll be as gentle as I can . . ." Rodolphus murmured, slipping his spare hand under his wife he gently lifted her head ever so slightly.

The pain was undoubtedly there, though she chose to ignore it as best as she could, focusing on her husband's gaze she did not break eye contact. She opened her mouth as he pressed the cool glass to her lips. The liquid trailed like fire down her throat though she did not break eye contact nor flinch a bit, focusing on Rodolphus. The moment she had finished the potion she felt a blissful numbness flow through her body, it was like floating in a warm bath. She barely realised Rodolphus removing his grasp from her until she lolled her head to the side and saw him putting the glass on the counter and arranging the potions.

"Rod . . ." She called, waiting for him to turn around before she used what strength she had to pat the bed beside her.

He smiled slightly, walking around to her other side she watched as he got onto the bed. She could move better now, though she preferred to pretend otherwise as she allowed her husband to pull her into his arms. He held her in his gentle embrace as he pressed his lips to her wild hair.

"What happened?" Rodolphus asked quietly.

"Did Dora not tell you?" Bellatrix sighed, "I heard her . . . She sounded . . ."

"Horrified," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, "I don't think she's ever seen the results of the full wrath of The Dark Lord like that . . ."

"She won't," Bellatrix said, "she won't fail him . . ."

"She did," Rodolphus spoke more firmly, "you took the blame."

". . . He would have killed them all," Rodolphus would not have heard his wife's whisper if he had not been inches from her lips when she spoke.

He knew the woman had a lesser seen softer side, he also knew that she preferred to hide that part of herself. He understood though, he knew she did not care for Lucius, but her sister was in that room, her niece and even though he knew she cared little for her nephew he knew she would think of her sister should he be killed. He stroked her hair, letting her arm rest on his side as she rested her head on his chest listening to the steady strum of his heart.

"You never cease to amaze me, Bella," Rodolphus sighed.

"What stupid thing will I do next, hmm?" Bellatrix murmured.

"Precisely," Rodolphus chuckled, kissing the witches hair, "but for now, rest."

". . . It will be over soon . . . I can feel it . . ." Bellatrix whispered.

He didn't say another word, choosing not to think on his wife's words. He did not dare to think of what would happen to them at the end of the war. Though he obviously hoped for and worked towards glory for his master, there was a niggling feeling at the back of his mind. He did not want to think how this war would end. He merely wanted to relish in the ever rarer moments of quiet affection he received from his wife, holding her bruised body against his own as they both laid together in silence.

 


	48. Children

It took days for Bellatrix to return to her normal self. It was arguably one of her shorter recoveries, though Rodolphus still kept a close eye on the witch as if she were some small porcelain doll. In truth it soon began to grate on Bellatrix and Nymphadora was soon stuck with Cassie, Delphi and Bellatrix in her room as she tried to get some space from her husband. The young witch didn't quite understand it, she knew that her Aunt loved her Uncle (though she knew just as well that that was something that Bellatrix would never openly admit). Though the time seemed to pass just as quickly as it always had and as Nymphadora watched her newborn baby soon grow to be nearly two months old she couldn't help but wish that time would just stop. There was a war going on and she had to agree with her Aunts constant comments on the matter; she could feel a battle approaching.

"She's growing too quickly," Dora murmured as she stroked the pink hair tuft of hair out of her daughter's face, her Aunt had left her alone for the day. She had made excuses of Delphi needing a nap when Barty had entered the room (forgetting the fact the girl had taken her naps in Dora's bed many times in the past without issue).

"She's supposed to grow, isn't she?" Barty frowned, looking to his daughter curiously as he sat at the end of the bed, leaning against one of the bedposts, "Metamorphmagus don't grow quicker . . . do they?"

"Well, no," Dora rolled her eyes, "unless she decides to start trying to morph her limbs of her own accord."

"Wait . . . She can't do that. She's just a baby," Barty seemed slightly concerned now, hesitating for a moment before he walked over to the woman and gently took his daughter out of her arms, "she won't know how to morph them back, will she?"

"Well not usually," Dora sighed, moving herself to sit on the edge of her bed as she watched the pair, "apparently I did it a few times. Sometimes I stayed like it a little longer than I should have but in the end, St Mungo's just told my parents to leave me to it to morph back—well, at least leave it a few days. But I didn't start doing that until I was running around apparently, more like when I wanted to grab something off of the counter I couldn't reach so just decided to grow my arm."

"Right . . ." Barty murmured, not sounding too relieved.

"She'll be fine . . ." Dora said, "Barty?"

"Hmm?"

"What—" Dora sighed, taking a deep breath before she looked to the man currently staring down at the dark eyes of his daughter, "What if we don't survive this war?"

Barty huffed slightly, looking up from his daughter to smirk at Dora, "Why wouldn't we survive?"

"We could be killed in a battle," Dora said, a lump forming in her throat as she looked to her innocent daughter and thought of what she would do without her mother or father.

Barty stared at the witch for a moment before with a small shake of his head he walked over to his daughter's bassinet and gently lowered her into it, surprising Nymphadora slightly as he paused a moment and placed a kiss on her head as she babbled to herself in her own baby talk. He turned to face Nymphadora, striding over to her and grabbing her hand he pulled her from the bed.

"Dora, how many Death Eaters have the scum managed to kill, hmm?" Barty said as he stroked the hair from the woman's face, "Compared to how many Death Eaters have killed? We're the winning side here, love."

"Well we're not exactly that much better off," Dora rolled her eyes, "I mean look at Gibbon. Bloody killed in the crossfire by one of our own."

"Well, Rowle's an idiotic fool and not someone I would recommend sticking by your side in a battle regardless," Barty gave a lopsided grin as he took hold of Dora's hip and pulled her towards himself, "You've got me as a duelling partner."

"Oh?" Dora raised an eyebrow, unable to help the slight playful smirk that played her lips as she reached up and rested her arms on the man's shoulders, "I don't think I need a duelling partner, Crouch."

"No?" Barty asked, laughing slightly as the woman shook her head, "True. But it's nice having you close by."

He reached down and pressed his lips to her own, wrapping his arms around the woman as she felt her let out a small groan at the touch of his lips.

"Barty," Dora pulled her lips away, shaking her head though she made no move to step back from him, "this is serious. We need to figure out where Cassie goes if . . . well if the worst happens. I don't want her ending up in some bloody orphanage."

"Well she won't, will she?" Barty rolled his eyes, "There's Bellatrix and Rodolphus, then there's Narcissa if they won't or can't. But I'm sure Bellatrix would have you down to take Delphi if anything happens to her—merlin knows she won't want her Delphi growing up like spoilt little Draco—so she'll take Cassie if it goes the other way."

"But—"

"Shh," Barty quickly kissed the woman to silence her for a moment before he shook his head, "don't worry about such things before we have to."

Barty leant his head back down to the witch, kissing her with all of his attention as his hands began to slip further down her back. But Nymphadora didn't have the luxury of being able to not worry about things. It was all she could do. Though she had to admit she was beginning to welcome the distraction as Barty entangled one of his hands in her hair. That was when she felt it. With a gasp of shock, she pushed the man away from her.

"What?" Barty asked with an expression on his face that made it seem as if the woman had just slapped him, "Dora I've told you before, Cassie is just a baby, she—"

"No!" Dora hissed, wincing as she heard their child stir, she gestured to the skull and snake on her arm now writhing and burning her skin, "I have to go. Look after Cassie,"

"I—Okay," Barty nodded, "Yeah, sure, come back soon—well as soon as you can. I mean . . ."

Dora wasn't listening to him anymore, she had already almost tripped over as she quickly slipped on her boots and ran from the room. She was surprised as when she slowed to a stop outside of the doors to the main ballroom she could see her Aunt and Uncle rushing towards her from the other side.

"What's happened?" Rodolphus asked hurriedly, ignoring his wife as she grabbed onto his arm to halt herself as she reached the pair.

"I—I don't know," Dora shook her head, "I—"

The Malfoys were approaching them. Though none of them were running as the others were they looked just as hurried and concerned that their summons, Dora wondered why her Aunt Cissa was there. She had no mark, no immediate pull to answer the call of their master. Though perhaps she was just there because her husband and child were? Or perhaps if the two men were summoned it was now expected for Narcissa to come. She didn't even realise as Rabastan came up behind her.

"Well?" Rabastan asked, "What's happened?"

"We need to find out," Bellatrix shook her head, marching to the front of the group she grabbed hold of the doors and wrenched them open.

Dora had to stop herself swearing. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen the room occupied by so many people that weren't Death Eaters. There were more goblins than she had ever seen outside of Gringotts at one time and it was only as she looked to the few wizards in the room in Gringotts uniform that she realised that that was exactly where all the Goblins had come from.

"How nice of you to join us," The Dark Lord said, the cold authority in his voice causing Nymphadora to only become even more nervous as she slowly and obediently followed her Aunt into the room.

"My Lord," Bellatrix replied, lowering herself into a bow as the rest quickly copied her actions.

"Get up," Voldemort hissed, clearly having no patience, "you two," Voldemort pointed his wand at Lucius and Bellatrix, "you advised me on using Gringotts to hide valuable items. No?"

"The Goblins assured me it would be safe, My Lord," Lucius said, always quick to blame others.

"They were wrong!" Voldemort yelled, pointing his wand at the blonde man he curled his lip as he hissed the curse that sent the man whimpering to his knees. He barely let the curse hold for more than a few moments before he lifted it, letting the man's wife help him back to his feet as he stormed to stand face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange. "You assured me that only the Lestranges—and Nymphadora—had access to your vault, that it was 'one of the best-protected vaults in Gringotts', did you not?"

"I—It is, My Lord." Bellatrix nodded, though her eyes were slightly wider than usual as her gaze flickered momentarily to her master's wand, "It has the Dragon, for starters."

"It _had_ a Dragon." Voldemort sneered, digging his wand into the woman's neck as he forced her to look up into his eyes. "Potter stole it."

"Potter?" Bellatrix breathed.

"It seems this is the second time he has bested you, _third_ if you count the Ministry," Voldemort said and without missing a beat he surged a Cruciatus through the woman, she instantly fell to the floor as her screams rang out through the room. He held the curse slightly longer than he had for Malfoy, though it was still only mercifully short. "Be glad that I need you all to be in prime fighting condition!" Voldemort yelled.

Nymphadora had never seen him so enraged, she could barely keep her eyes on her master as it was Rodolphus who slipped forward to help pull Bellatrix back to her feet. Though she quickly pushed him away and pulled herself back up, watching intently as Lord Voldemort passed through the terrified looking wizards and goblins alike.

He stopped at the head of the room, glaring at his followers as he raised his wand yet again, "Be thankful, Lord Voldemort shows mercy . . . to you."

It started too quickly for Nymphadora to register what was happening. There was suddenly splashes of red began to spray as Nymphadora felt an arm pull her back and drag her to the safety of the back wall. Blood was everywhere, yells of pain and the cries of the dying filled the room as Nymphadora fell to the floor with Rabastan. She looked around in horror at the sight, not having to see her hair to know it had turned white. She saw her Aunt Bellatrix across the room, having thrown herself to stand beside the fireplace though she slowly now slipped down the wall to sit on the floor. The older witch shook her head, her lips moving inaudibly above the screams as she was clearly blaming herself.

"Stay still," Rabastan growled through gritted teeth, pulling her back as she went to try to get to her Aunt, "or he might change his mind about sparing us."

Nymphadora swallowed hard and nodded. The slaughter was almost done with, she saw a man trying to run the room and on instinct, she drew her wand and with a quick spell forced him back to the centre where with a yell of fear mingled with pain a spell sliced through him like a sharp knife through a butter. The last body soon fell to the floor with a thud. The silence was sickening, perhaps even more so than the small river of blood that was seeping it's way to Nymphadora. She didn't even care as the thick red substance pooled at the bottom of her boots. Her eyes were back on her master. He took one last look at the room, then spoke in the tongue he shared with his daughter. Nagini slithered through the mess of blood, joining her master at his command and raising her scaly head to his hand. With the familiar crack of apparation, they were gone.

It was like a scene from a nightmare. Though Nymphadora had witnessed and been the cause of many deaths over the years, this was an entirely different level of slaughter. The Malfoy's were the first to move, Lucius scrambling over to his wife and son as if he was still too afraid to stand up. She watched the little blonde family take stock of each other, assuring that none of them were injured and muttering words that only they could hear to each other. Nymphadora looked over to Bellatrix, Rodolphus had stood and walked over to his wife. He approached her carefully, stepping over the odd body and avoiding the blood on the floor as best as he could (though it was an impossible task). When he finally reached her he bent down to her level.

"Bella?" Rodolphus said quietly.

"No," Bellatrix shook her head, staring at the floor as she kept her knees drawn up to her chest, "I didn't mean to . . . I thought . . . I _failed_ him!"

"Bella, look at me," Rodolphus said sternly, grabbing the woman's hands that were tangled in her hair and making her look up at him. She turned her face up at him with a glassy stare, it was as if she was looking straight through him and it worried Rodolphus to the pit of his stomach, chilling him far more so than the slaughter they had just witnessed. "You couldn't have known, but it's okay. You're not hurt, are you?"

"No . . . I—" Bellatrix turned her head to look at her niece, still sat staring at the victims of their master's wrath, she shook her head and pulled herself to her feet. She walked over to her niece with determination, ignoring her husband as he called her name. She didn't drop in front of her niece in a calming manner such as her husband had done, she merely grabbed hold of the white-haired girl's hand and pulled her to her feet. The girl continued to stare at all the blood.

"It's not as fun if you're not the one causing the massacre, is it?" Dora asked in a near enough whisper.

"Not always . . ." Bellatrix replied, taking a moment to look around the room before she tilted her head and looked to her niece curiously, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No . . ." Dora shook her head, finally pulling her gaze away from the fallen and looking to her Aunt.

"Good," Bellatrix nodded, keeping a firm grip on her hand as she went to pull her from the room.

"Bella!" Narcissa cried, causing her sister to turn and raise an eyebrow at her, "We—We need to clear this—this mess."

"Do it tomorrow," Bellatrix rolled her eyes "we have nothing better to do by the looks of things."

"The blood will dry and the room will smell," Lucius wrinkled his nose.

"There's nothing wrong with a little decay," Bellatrix mused, letting out a huff of laughter at her brother-in-law's look of disgust " _you_ clean it, if you must. I'm taking Dora back to Cassie."

She didn't listen to her sister calling her name again as she took Nymphadora from the room. Though the girl didn't pay any attention to where she was taking her, didn't even realise that they were going in the opposite direction of where her daughter was blissfully unaware of the horrors of the Manor as she lay in the arms of her father. She only noticed when she heard the door close behind her. She looked up to see what she recognised to be Lucius Malfoy's study, a room just as lavishly furnished as most of the rooms in the manor. A particularly sour-looking old Malfoy sat in a frame above the old oak desk, curling his lip in distaste at the witches appearance he quickly made himself scarce as he left his portrait whilst quietly hissing something under his breath.

"Why are we here?" Dora finally found her voice, looking to her Aunt as she opened one of the cabinets within the room.

The older witch did not answer her, rummaging around what Dora could only guess from the one clinking of glass was Lucius Malfoy's potion kit. She pulled out a large half-empty bottle and ripped off the cork with her teeth, quickly spitting it out and taking a large swig of the potion. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes for a moment Nymphadora watched as her whole body relaxed. Bellatrix had clearly downed a swig of calming draught.

"I don't need it," Nymphadora said as Bellatrix eventually turned and held the bottle out to her niece.

"You do," Bellatrix huffed.

"I—" Nymphadora stopped as Bellatrix pressed the bottle into her hands and gave her a stern look, a look that she had given her many a time before and Nymphadora had long learned that it meant her Aunt was not to be argued with. She took a swig without further protest, relief flooding through her as the potion took effect and she could feel her racing heart beginning to calm slightly.

"You need to be in order, Nymphadora," Bellatrix hummed, flicking her wand as she made the bottle cork itself again and fly back into the cabinet.

"What?" Dora frowned, unable to help but think the potion may not have helped her Aunt as much as it had her.

"It will be soon," Bellatrix said with an eerie sense of certainty.

"You've been saying that for weeks . . ."

"Because it's true," Bellatrix said, walking over to her niece and taking a strand of her still white hair, "you can't be afraid . . . you're not a little girl anymore."

"I was never afraid," Dora said, morphing her hair to a dark purple.

"You weren't . . ." Bellatrix nodded, speaking so quietly that Nymphadora would not have been able to hear her if it wasn't for the fact that she was stood so close to her, "but then you became a mother . . . motherhood changes you. Makes you think of someone apart from yourself . . . makes you fear for them when they're still too young and innocent to know what's going on in the world around them . . . it's a weakness. But though you understand this, you _know_ they make you weaker . . . you can't stop it. You wouldn't if you could. Because all you care about now is making sure that you do your duty and serve your master and in doing so make sure that you win . . . but you came into this for yourself. You came in wanting to make a difference, to be famed and feared and rule the wizarding world all to show those around you that you could. But now it's for them . . ."

Nymphadora didn't say a word, knowing that what her Aunt was saying was correct but not being able to help but think that Bellatrix wasn't talking about her niece anymore. She nodded slightly as the woman raised her black eyes to look into her own.

"It will be fine," Bellatrix smirked, "The Dark Lord will win. He will not fail."

"I know . . ." Nymphadora said, knowing that she wasn't sure if she did know for certain anymore, she considered if her Aunt would be more open to her previous worries about Cassie than Barty, "What about if we . . . die—The Dark Lord could still win if we were to die, we aren't as important as him." She quickly added the last part as her Aunt narrowed her eyes slightly.

"There are plans in place . . ." Bellatrix said after a moment.

"What plans?" Dora asked.

"Don't worry," Bellatrix said, stepping away from the girl as she let go of the strand of Dora's hair she had been twirling absentmindedly in her fingers.

"But—"

"I said don't worry," Bellatrix repeated, "clean up and go to your daughter, I'll speak with you tomorrow."

Nymphadora went to press her Aunt for answers again; if there was a plan that involved her daughter should she die she needed to know every detail. But Bellatrix was done talking, a fact that was made very clear as she walked from the room without any more answers. She stood in the room for a long while after her Aunt had left her, thinking over what had happened as well as what was yet to happen. Though her mind began to spiral as she thought of all of the possibilities and she soon realised she had been in there for long enough that the small swing of calming draught had long worn off. She gathered her senses, eventually clearing the splatters of blood that had hit her robes and making her way from the room.

Barty was in her bed, his eyes closed as he had seemingly taken advantage of their daughter taking a nap and decided to join her. Dora smiled as she looked into the bassinet, Cassie was stirring, the little girls now blue eyes staring up at her mother as she wriggled in her blanket to gain her mother's attentions.

"Hey beautiful," Dora cooed, reaching down and taking her into her arms she rested the baby on her shoulder and rubbed her back gently, "it's okay, Mummy's here."

She walked over to her bed, kicking off her boots she decided to lay back on the bed herself. She lay with her daughter on her chest, kissing her hair that now matched the colour of her own and cherishing the calm of laying with her daughter in her room decidedly ignoring the world around her at that moment. She was blissfully unaware of the events waiting for her the next day, ready to change both her life and the wizarding world forever.

* * *

 


	49. The Battle of Hogwarts: Part 1

The wind caught on her skirts, the fabric hitting back on her bare legs underneath. A chill ran down her spine that she knew had nothing to do with the cool May breeze. She closed her eyes, taking in the sounds, smells and feel of all that was around her. There was a low hum of people around her whispering between themselves, each voice trying not to be heard by the crowd at large but all was lost in the quiet hum of seemingly hundreds of Death Eaters and their allies. Her hand clenched a little tighter around her wand, feeling the cool wood underneath her fingers and wondering how many would fall beneath her powers today. A small smirk graced her lips as she heard Bellatrix giggling to her side and she opened her eyes to see the witch leant back into her husband. They were awaiting their master. They had not been there long, though it had seemed like hours ago that she had said goodbye to her small daughter.

Nymphadora had thought long and hard about where she would be when this inevitable call for battle would come, she'd romanticised the moment in her mind as images of herself training with her Aunt, torturing prisoners or simply being disturbed from other important works. But the reality was that she had been woken from a nap of all things, with her little girl on her chest having battled with the child to convince her that she was not hungry, she did not need changing, she merely needed to rest. She had watched her angry red locks turn to a deep purple to match her mother's current state, stroking her back and kissing her head as she sung an old lullaby as the perfect child fell to sleep on her mother and soon she had unintentionally joined her in her perfect slumber. That was until her mark had burned with the call of her master. It was a shock awakening that had almost caused her to wake the poor child, but she managed to remain calm. She knew what was happening before she was told. She almost did not want to go, as all she could think about as she tried to get the will to raise from her bed was her daughter. How long would she be? Would she be okay under the sleeping spell as she had many times before? . . . Would she come back to her? What if she died and she was—she had struck the thoughts from her head. She had to. She could hear the others coming from their rooms and knew she would soon be missed if she didn't leave. So she forced herself from the bed, taking each step a little slower than usual as she walked her child over to her cot.

She kissed her head again, lingering for a moment as she whispered to her "I'll be back . . . Mummy loves you . . . _so much_."

Then she had placed the girl in her cot, ignoring the tears now threatening to burst from her as they swam across her vision. She gave the girl one last kiss, taking in her sleeping form until she was dragged back to reality as she heard the call of her Aunt from the hallway. She placed the necessary spell on the child and raised a ward to ensure that no harm would come to her, then tore herself from the room but not before swatting away the tears that had now fallen unintentionally. She paused as she saw her Aunt, there was a solemn look on her face and in that brief moment there was a silent understanding of two mothers that had faced the fleeting thought that they had perhaps seen their child for the last time. But soon the moment was over and a grin forced its way onto her Aunt's face as she declared they had to leave. Nymphadora simply nodded and followed her, though she was unable to force the excitement onto her face just yet.

She had not said a word since she had spoken since she had said goodbye to her daughter. She had followed orders and was patiently waiting for the order to attack her old school. The place looked beautiful really when she took a moment to think about it. It was if someone had placed a glass bowl threaded with bright white fairy lights over the ancient building, the whole thing ready to shatter and flutter out of existence when the right pressure was placed upon it.

Nymphadora gasped as she felt a body behind her, though as it closed in on her and arms wrapped around her waist she knew who had joined them.

"Took your time . . ." Dora whispered as she felt a head rest on her shoulder.

"I had things to take care of . . ." Barty murmured, placing a kiss on the girl's cheek before he looked out at the castle, "pretty."

"I suppose . . ." Dora nodded, wondering to herself if Barty had been to see Cassie before he left Malfoy Manor. She liked to think so, though she was unsure.

"It will all come crashing down soon," Bellatrix cried with glee, "shattering around them so we can cut them down one by one. Like pigs to slaughter."

"Sounds beautiful," Rodolphus smirked.

"Oh, _it is_ ," Bellatrix grinned.

"We should make a game of it," Rabastan mused, "highest body count wins?"

"You'll lose that one in a heartbeat," Barty scoffed, taking a step back from Nymphadora as he looked to Rabastan.

"Care to make a bet?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow.

"A bet I'm guaranteed to win?" Barty laughed, "Ten Galleons?"

"Twenty," Rabastan said, watching the man considering his proposition for a moment before with a laugh they both shook hands.

Rodolphus rolled his eyes, though he did seem amused at the pair as Bellatrix laughed at their antics. He opened his mouth to say something, though at that precise moment the crowd began to fall silent. Their master had arrived. She watched as he walked before them, his now seemingly always present snake right by his side as he looked from his soldiers to the challenge set before them. This was not the time for a speech, they knew why they were here—they had already been briefed on arrival as it seemed Bellatrix was already aware of the situation. Dora had wondered if her Aunt Bella had been with The Dark Lord when he received word that Potter was within the castle walls, perhaps he had gone to see his child before he called rallied his troops to arms? But it was not a thought she had lingered on for long. He merely stopped in his slow walk as he reached the space in front of her, sparing a glance for Bellatrix as the woman giggled in anticipation before almost without warning he gave the bellow of a command to attack the defences of the castle.

Streams of hundreds of spells instantly shot over her head, each individual spell on its way to try and break the defences of the castle. Though as she added her own power to the onslaught it was quickly apparent the defences were not about to immediately shatter in the way she had imagined. Their master paced the front of the crowd as his servants put all of their strength into attack the defences of the old building, shouting the occasional command to strengthen the assault. It seemed at least ten minutes had passed and, though the defences were undoubtedly weakened, they had still not brought them down in full. Some had paused, the constant use of their magic on the defences tiring them as they needed to gather their strengths again. Nymphadora looked to her Aunt, there was sweat on her brow though her teeth were gritted and her intense concentration burned like a fire in her dark eyes. With a single command from their master, the attack stopped.

He stepped forward, looking to the wand in his hand. Nymphadora did not recognise it to be his own, nor any wand she could remember him taking, she was sure she would remember from staring into its point as she was punished for her recent failures, surer still that she would remember the wand that had once branded her as his own. The thought was quickly thrown from her mind as he raised the wand to the castle, with a guttural yell he threw his power at the castle. It was a constant stream of light, far larger and more threatening than any of the others. The wards barely stood a chance as the last of the once glistening glass bowl cracked and fell within itself, the remnants of magic fluttering like burning paper to the floor.

"Go," Lord Voldemort's command was just over a whisper but as the first from around them heard his command the rest were soon to follow.

Some ran, some disapparated knowing that the anti apparation wards would have fallen with the rest of the castles protections, some near enough flew into the assault on the wizarding school.

"Come on, Dora," Bellatrix grinned as she turned to her niece, grabbing her hand as Nymphadora did not have a single chance to protest. It was as if she was a child again being taken on a secret adventure with the woman, pulled into side along apparation. Though this was an entirely different sort of adventure.

Bellatrix's cackles echoed around the entrance hall to the old school, mingling with the screams of frightened children and the yells of those trying to protect them. Bellatrix took to the battle naturally, as if she had been training for this moment for her entire life—though Nymphadora supposed she had. The first to fall was a child, barely in their sixth year as the Hufflepuff boy crumpled in on himself and fell to the floor with a thud as the jet of green light hit him square in the chest. That was when their protectors came forward. Apparently, the children knew better than to attempt to fight Bellatrix Lestrange and Nymphadora Tonks, parting like the red sea as they scrambled to get elsewhere. The odd student that stayed behind was soon put to the side as who Nymphadora recognised to be Arthur and Charlie Weasley came forward.

"Oooh, look Dora!" Bellatrix laughed, clearly in her element, "It's the Weasels!"

"Think they can best us?" Dora tilted her head to the side slightly as she assessed the pair, joining in her Aunts laughter as the first spell was thrown.

They parried back and forth, jets of lights flying all around the room and colliding with old stone as small pieces of the already damaged castle clattered to the floor around them unheard over the din of battle. It was not a fair fight, the men were outmatched by Nymphadora and her Aunt and it was a fact they were soon realising as small cuts caused by their spells began to litter their bodies. Nymphadora was inches away from putting a Weasley down for good, but it seemed they had finally accepted the fact they were not going to win this battle. With words the women did not quite hear they quickly let out a spell in unison. A flash of light blinded the women temporarily. Nymphadora hissed and squinted against the light, yelling in frustration as the spell wore off and she could see the Weasleys too far off in the distance running from their fight.

"Cowards!" Bellatrix screeched, throwing a spell at the pair just as they passed a corner and left their sights.

Nymphadora walked to her Aunt's side, looking around the place there were still children scrambling in many directions, Death Eaters hot on everyone's tails. She glimpsed into the Great Hall, momentarily thinking of the days she had spent as a child sat at the Slytherin table speaking to her fellow housemates, a small number of which now battling for the same side as her.

"Looks like the Weasels didn't want to play . . ." Dora murmured, turning her head to look at her Aunt as the woman let out a scoff of laughter.

"There's plenty more toys in the playground," Bellatrix giggled.

"Well then," Dora smirked, "we best go and play."

Bellatrix laughed, barely waiting a moment before without warning she ran off into the battle. Nymphadora tried to run after her, though for a woman nearly twice her age Bellatrix was like a child at the fair at the thought of battle, each potential victim a different ride to take on and each opponent a game to win.

She managed to keep up with her for barely five minutes, though soon the woman had already slain at least two people and Nymphadora had only just managed to kill her first. She stared down at the Gryffindor child, frowning slightly as she thought of the boy's idiocy to attempt to take on a Death Eater single-handed. It was that one moment of thought that distracted her long enough to lose her Aunt. She let out a huff of annoyance, a noise that soon turned into a yell of anger as she barely reacted quickly enough to duck at the spell thrown at her head. She whirled on the spot, instinctively throwing a curse that missed her opponent by mere inches as the woman stepped out of the way just in time.

"Another Weasel?" Nymphadora laughed, "Come on now, I'm growing bored of you lot. What now, Mummy Weasel? Will we fight a little and then you'll grow scared like the others and attempt to run?"

"You wish," Molly Weasley spoke through gritted teeth, her face set in concentration as she threw another spell at the girl.

Nymphadora laughed as she deflected it with ease. Soon the pair were locked in battle, a few spells managed to get past each of the witches defences though in truth it was mainly the old castle walls around them that were taking the brunt of the damage. She did not want to admit it to herself, but of all of the opponents she had already faced that night Molly Weasley was proving more difficult than she would have hoped. She would not be bested by a housewife. She put all of her force into the fight, using each and every method of duelling that her Aunt had taught her from childhood she drove the woman back down the corridor.

"Is that all you've got, blood traitor scum?" Nymphadora laughed as the woman let out a yell of pain, a well-placed curse had sliced her cheek and blood now ran down her jaw and onto her shabby robes.

" _You're a half-blood!_ " Molly yelled, "What does blood matter to you?"

Nymphadora let out a yell of fury, her hair tinging red as she threw curse after curse until the woman was doing all she could to stop herself from being pushed against the wall at the force of it. They barely realised the sounds of battle around them, the screams of pain, the yells of fury, the footsteps of those getting closer and closer to their battle.

Molly Weasley tried as best she could to beat the girl, Dora barely realising that her gaze flicked to something behind her but paying attention enough to realise a slight waver in her attention no matter what the cause. She ducked as a spell was thrown at her head, narrowly missing it she took advantage of her position and sent a painful curse flying at Molly's legs. The woman screamed as her robes tore, cutting deeply enough for Dora to see the splash of blood now turning her skirts a deep crimson. The woman staggered for a moment, another quick curse ensuring she lost her balance, falling back against the wall the woman still feebly tried to fight her off. Though Dora smirked as she got closer, deflecting her spells with ease she noted the blood now steadily flowing towards her. As she was mere feet from the woman she finally managed to disarm her.

"Oh dear," Dora pouted, "seems you're done here. Any last words?"

"You won't win," Molly spat, looking up at the witch defiantly even as she knew her last moments were quickly closing in on her, "you'll lose. You can kill me, but I will die for a worthy cause."

Dora let out a huff of laughter, "Won't we all? . . . _Avada Kedavra_!"

The light left the woman's eyes, though Dora barely got a moment to relish in her victory as a scream of anguish filled the small corridor. She turned her head only to see the youngest Weasley child, tears already rolling down her cheeks in despair though her face was set in determined revenge.

"Walk away little girl," Nymphadora stopped herself from jumping at the sound of Rodolphus Lestrange, grinning as the girl took a step back, "or shall we send you to join your mother?"

Ginny Weasley looked to them as if trying to decide if she could take them on for the briefest of moments.

"Is that what she'd want?" it was Rabastan now, Nymphadora wondered briefly how she had not heard them come up behind her, though the look on the girl's face was too amusing to her for her to care very much at all. She laughed as the girl turned tail and ran from the trio.

"Nice work," Rabastan murmured, nudging the body of the fallen Weasley with his foot and snickering as she slumped sideways onto the floor, "not going for the purple hair look on your victims tonight?"

"There's hardly the time for theatrics," Dora smirked, "where have you two been?"

"Here and there," Rodolphus said, "where's Bellatrix?"

"I lost track of her," Dora said, "she gets a little carried away running about I suppose."

"I suppose she does," Rodolphus smirked, "The last place you saw her?"

"Down by the transfiguration corridor I think," Dora said, "but I—"

Rodolphus wasn't listening, he had already turned and gone to search for his wife.

"But I don't think she'll be there anymore," Dora continued, rolling her eyes as she watched him turn down the corridor. She frowned as she looked to Rabastan, "Where's Barty?"

"Missing him?" Rab grinned as he teased her.

"Stop being jealous that you're lonely, Rab," Dora rolled her eyes, "Where is he?"

"Said he was going to the bell towers, you get a good look from up there—Hey!" Rabastan yelled as the girl went running in the direction of the towers, rolling his eyes as she rounded a corner out of sight, "You're welcome."

The castle was alive with battle, both sides raging on despite the fallen warriors from both sides now littering their path. Nymphadora's heart was pounding as she struggled to catch her breath. Once she finally reached the steps to the bell towers, she could hear the distant yells of Barty Crouch taunting his latest opponent in the midst of his own battle. She couldn't help but smirk at the thought of it. The metamorphmagus took two steps at a time as she practically flew up the stairs, wand drawn ready to join in the fun.

"Is that all you've got, mutt?!" Dolohov roared with laughter, throwing a curse at Remus Lupin though the man seemed to be holding his ground well.

It was an even battle, Barty Crouch Jr and Antonin Dolohov fighting against Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt, a fair fight. But she was a Death Eater, playing fair was never her game. With a grin she ran to Barty and Dolohov, standing in between the pair as she threw a curse at Shacklebolt.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Nymphie," Barty laughed, parrying a spell from Shacklebolt with ease as Nymphadora threw her own at the man.

"Well, I was taking in the scenery, wasn't I?" Dora joked, forcing Shacklebolt to move back slightly as he got uncomfortably close to the pair.

The five were locked in battle, each of them fighting to the best of their abilities as they tried to get the upper hand. It was fair to say that Barty and Dora were more than capable of taking on Kingsley with their combined force, barely a minute had passed and the man was nearly flat against the wall.

"Well, here I was thinking you'd present a challenge Mr Shacklebolt," Dora laughed.

Though as quickly as the words had left her mouth the man had caught her off guard. The wooden floor beneath her took a hefty spell, a small hole now created in the floor, though it was in just the right position and timed in just the right way that Nymphadora fell back slightly thrown off her balance. But it wasn't the sudden jolt of pain that went through her that distracted her from her fight, it was the sharp searing pain in her side and the yell of fury from Barty. She threw up a shield on instinct, barely noticing as Kingsley was knocked off of his feet as the small trickle of blood from her side stained her robes.

"You cowardly, disgusting mutt!" Barty yelled, quickly storming over to where Dolohov stood and pushing the man towards the man now getting up from the floor in a silent command for him to take over the fight for him, one that he quickly obeyed. It seemed that although Kingsley had been the one to break the floor, it had been Remus that had decided he could take advantage of the small lapse in concentration from Nymphadora.

"I am no coward," Remus spoke through gritted teeth, his wand now trained firmly on Barty Crouch Jr.

"You hurt _my woman_ ," Barty snarled, "you're going to pay for this."

Dora winced as the pair were quickly locked in a stream of spells relentlessly pushing back and forth, each curse or hex looking to hit a deadly mark on its target. She looked to Dolohov, assured that he was handling Shacklebolt on his own as she backed towards the wall, leaning against the supports of the castle as she looked to watch Barty and Remus. It was kind of sweet, when Dora thought of it, the father of her child wanting to defend her honour. Though she didn't exactly agree with being called 'my woman' as if she were his property, the sentiment was there. But she had more important things to think of, as a piece of the rafters fell barely a foot from where she stood she quickly realised that they were destroying the castle around them in their battle, to the point that it could become dangerous. She pointed her wand at some of the larger looking debris, quickly repairing it.

"Argh!" Barty yelled in pain.

Nymphadora snapped her eyes to the pair. Barty was not doing well. How the tables had turned in such a short space of time Nymphadora didn't know. The man was slanted in his stance, dragging his right foot as he tried to defend himself. She needed to help. She ran towards him in vain. When she was mere feet from the battle she stopped within an inch of a quickly thrown up shield. Turning to see Kingsley Shacklebolt had somehow managed to separate her from helping her lover even whilst he was in the midst of his own battle, Nymphadora let out a yell of fury as she tried to break the barrier down.

But Barty was faltering, he was moving further back towards the empty windows of the bell tower, barely fighting off his opponent as Nymphadora watched the blood run freely from his leg. She threw another curse at the barrier, another curse hit Barty, colliding with his left arm, she threw another curse, a curse hit his right arm, it seemed for every inch she came closer to helping her lover the closer he came to being bested by a fucking werewolf, scum, Order nitwit.

"Is that all you've got?" Barty teased, though his voice was weak and his hand was shaking as he kept his wand on the werewolf, "You'll lose this you know, you'll be killed—quickly, if you're lucky. But The Dark Lord will triumph, we will kill all of your little friends. Just like Dumbledore, like the Potters, like old Sirius, you will all die."

Time seemed to freeze. A fury came over Remus Lupin's face that seemed out of place on the worn wizard's features. A jet of bright green flew from his wand as he screamed those two deadly words " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

The room stood still, though time now seemed to be moving again it was at a painfully slow pace. A woman's scream echoed through the bell tower, Nymphadora not even registering the sound coming from her own mouth as she watched as the taunting smirk froze on Barty's face. His eyes remained wide open as his wand clattered to the floor, falling backwards in his death as his feet clumsily crumpled in his robes and the empty window that he was previously so dangerously close to became the thing that made him disappear from view.

Nymphadora could hear her heart beating in her chest, her gasp as she let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding. She looked from the window to the man who had thrown the curse, unwilling to believe what had just happened as the werewolf slowly turned his gaze to the woman. It was as if he was shocked at his own actions, his face emotionless but his eyes wide in the realisation of his actions.

"Get out of here, Remus!" Shacklebolt yelled, "I've got these two!"

Nymphadora considered going for the barrier again, but it was a thought that was not long-lived. She had to see what had happened to Barty for herself, for she could not believe what she had seen. Without a second thought, she ran not towards Remus Lupin but towards the stairs, running down the bell tower steps and only stopping as she grabbed onto the stone wall that led into the courtyard below to steady herself. There were few people out here, merely a few stragglers from the battle within, Death Eaters trying to get the running or Order members defending the barriers. She didn't know. She didn't care. She could see a crumpled heap on the floor, a still form tangled in robes.

She put one foot in front of the other, each step feeling like she had heavy weights tied to her feet. It did not get any easier with every step she took, it only seemed to get harder. Though as she reached the motionless form on the ground she found herself falling to her knees. She reached her hand out gingerly, closing her eyes as she took hold of the torn fabric now beneath her grasp. With a gentle tug, she felt the body move over onto its back. It was only then that she dared to look again.

She let out a small whimper, seemingly having lost her voice as she looked down at the glassy-eyed stare of her lover, the small smirk now frozen on his features forever. She shook the man slightly.

"Quit it," Dora mumbled, "get up."

But she knew it was useless, even before the words had left her lips. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks. _He was dead_. Her child was fatherless. She was without her . . . she was without the man she loved. Despite their flaws, despite their arguments and the imperfections of their relationship, she had loved him. She tried to control herself, knowing that the battle was still raging and she was exposed but not truly caring. She reached forward, placing a gentle hand on his cheek as she wiped some of the blood from his battle wounds away. She bit down hard on her lip, using all of the energy she had to reach forward and close the eyes of her lover, knowing that she had seen them twinkling in his mischievous ways for the last time. She gasped. Though it was not due to the strangled sob trying to escape her, something was trying to get into her mind.

She screwed her eyes shut as her master's voice filled her head, but she could barely pay attention to the words. She let out another gasp as a hand took her shoulder, reaching up her hands not to defend herself but to instead grasp onto her own hair and screwed her eyes tightly shut as she tried to focus, tried to make sense of it all.

"You have fought valiantly," her master's voice whispered within her mind as if his lips were pressed against her ear, "but in vain, I do not wish this . . . every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste . . ." she felt a body lean beside hers, sure she recognised the touch but uncaring, unwilling to acknowledge it, "I therefore command my forces to retreat, in my absence, dispose of your dead with dignity . . ."

Her mind took too long to clear, she didn't even notice when the words eventually died out only to be replaced with another familiar whisper.

"Dora . . . Dora . . . Nymphadora!"

Nymphadora screwed up her features to focus for a moment before she looked towards the voice, staring straight into the heavy-lidded eyes of her Aunt as the woman was mere inches from her face.

"We have to go," Bellatrix said, her gaze flickering slightly towards the body of Barty Crouch Jr before she returned her firm gaze to her niece, "come on."

"No . . ." Dora shook her head, "I . . . . Ah!"

Dora hissed in pain as Bellatrix pulled her to her feet, the pain in her side suddenly stabbing at her. She went to try and see to it, but soon a pair of hands had taken her face and she was forced to look at her Aunt. The woman had a strange look about her, a sympathetic frown as she looked to her niece with kindness in her heavy lidded eyes, it was a rare and odd sight to see on Bellatrix Lestrange.

"We need to keep fighting," Bellatrix near enough whispered, "he died fighting for what he believed in—what we all believed in. It was a valiant and honourable death, for a cause that we would all lay our lives down for. He would not want you stood here weeping over him, he would want you out there cutting down the scum and avenging him. Do you understand me?"

Nymphadora hesitated for a moment before with a deep breath and small nod she composed herself enough to look back at her Aunt with confidence.

"Good," Bellatrix nodded back at the girl, a small smirk now creeping on her features, "there's still more work to do. More scum to kill. He will be avenged and we will win this fight. Together. This battle is barely starting. This is what you've been training for almost all of your life, are you ready to put that into practice? Are you ready to do me proud? To do _him_ proud?"

A calm washed over Nymphadora, a single clarifying thought that made everything seem so simple. "They're going to pay," Dora whispered.

"That they are," Bellatrix smirked.

 


	50. The Battle of Hogwarts: Part 2

They walked to the Forbidden Forest, the cool breeze on Dora's face a welcome comfort as she remained stuck in her thoughts. She noticed her Aunt glancing back to her every few moments, a curious look on her face as if she were waiting for the girl to break down or do something rash in her grief. She noticed her fellow Death Eaters walking around her on her way to the call of their master. Some certainly seemed worse for wear, blood staining their torn robes, dishevelled and the most showing at least some evidence of the battle in their appearance, though still they went forward with smirks on their faces. It seemed they were all having fun. Surely she should be too? Had she not been? She sighed deeply, shaking her head as she tried to push all thought from her mind.

"Ladies," Rabastan grinned in greeting.

"Bellatrix," Rodolphus sighed as he walked towards the women, "Where have you been?"

"Here and there," Bellatrix smirked, letting the man kiss her for a moment before she pulled away to look at the clearing (in particular their master who now stood feet in front of them staring towards the entrance of the forest, oblivious to all around him).

"Where's Barty?" Rabastan asked Dora, "I want to see if I'm winning this bet—I reckon he owes me twenty galleons at this rate."

"You win," Dora murmured.

"Why? Did he tell you how many he's killed so far?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow as he paused to look around the woman as if expecting the man to rock up behind her at any moment, "Where is he?"

Both Rodolphus and Rabastan looked to Nymphadora, the smirk began to fade slightly from the younger brothers face as Rodolphus sighed in realisation.

"Who got him?" Rodolphus asked, his voice low and steady but with definite undertones of anger.

"Lupin," Dora said, her fists clenching slightly as she said his name.

"We'll get him," Rodolphus said frankly, "we'll make sure he pays."

"I'll gut him like the fucking mutt he is," Rabastan growled.

"He's mine," Dora glared at Rabastan, revenge was now coursing through her veins.

"Of course he is," Bellatrix smirked, reaching out and squeezing the girls shoulder, "you—"

Everyone fell silent, the boy had arrived. They watched as the young boy approached their master, the crowd seemed surprised that the boy had turned up at all. Nymphadora could hear Bellatrix giggling under her breath behind her, watching her master taunt the boy—though he did not seem to be in the mood to play. The half-giant oaf chirped up from the corner, Dora had been too distracted to notice him at first but now she viewed the sight as almost comical. The pair ignored all those surrounding them though, as Lord Voldemort readied himself to kill his enemy. A green light soon flooded the clearing and in a bizarre turn of events, Harry Potter was not the only man to fall to the floor.

Bellatrix let out a small uncharacteristic yelp of shock and ran to her master, ignoring her husband as he tried to get her to wait. She was crouched beside him, trying to discern what had happened.

"My Lord, are you hurt?" Bellatrix whispered, as the man stirred on the floor.

"I don't need your help," Voldemort said as he pulled himself to his feet, pushing his right-hand woman away from him.

Nymphadora went forward before Rodolphus could move, offering a hand to her Aunt though she refused and stood alone, staring at the motionless form of Harry Potter as she moved closer to her master again. The group were silent in the gathering for a moment, as if waiting with baited breath to see if the boy would move again, it was Narcissa who moved forward to inspect when others would not.

"The boy," Bellatrix breathed, "is he dead?"

It was the longest silence of Nymphadora's life. She watched her Aunt as she crouched over the boy, moving her head close to him as she seemingly looked for a sign of life. When she eventually rose to her feet again she slowly turned to face them, her face was an emotionless mask and Nymphadora could not figure out what the answer was from her cold stare.

"Dead."

Lord Voldemort laughed, the rest soon following suit as the cries of the half-giant were drowned out by the celebrations of the Death Eaters. Even Nymphadora couldn't help but crack a small smile. Maybe it had been worth it? Maybe they were done now and she could still get home to see her daughter?

The group moved quickly at Lord Voldemorts command, someone forcing the half-giant to collect the lifeless form of Harry Potter. Bellatrix near enough skipped at the front of the crowd on their way back to the castle, close behind her master as they approached the castle. Dora kicked a piece of rubble away from her feet on her path as they eventually stopped. The boy's followers were exiting the castle to meet them, Nymphadora was amused to see that they looked more dishevelled and war-torn than her fellow warriors.

"Harry Potter is dead!" Lord Voldemort cried.

"No!" A guttural cry came from the crowd as Ginny Weasley ran forward, running straight at them as if expecting to take on The Dark Lords army singlehanded for the boy laying limp in the half-giants arms.

"Silence!" Lord Voldemort yelled as he cast a silencing spell on the lot, watching as Ginny's father pulled her back from her plight of revenge.

"Stupid girl," Voldemort snickered, "Harry Potter, is dead. From this day forth, you put your faith _in me_." He turned back to his followers, grinning as he repeated himself "Harry Potter is dead!"

Those around her laughed and cheered, though as Nymphadora looked to her side she couldn't help but think something was wrong. Narcissa Malfoy was staring forward still, not even a shadow of a smile on her pale features as her eyes flickered momentarily to the 'chosen one'. She was about to nudge her, to see if she was okay, but that was the exact moment that Neville Longbottom stood forward to meet their lot.

Bellatrix laughed as the boy said his name to their master, clearly amused at the boy whose parents she had helped torture into insanity standing before them with nothing but the old sorting hat in his hands.

"It doesn't matter that Harry's gone," Neville said, ignoring his friends protest for him to stand down, "people die every day! Friends, family . . . Yeah, we lost Harry tonight . . . but he's still with us, in here," he put his hand to his chest, "so's Fred, Molly," Nymphadora bit back her own snicker despite herself, she had almost forgotten about her triumph over that woman, "all of them . . . they didn't die in vain. But you will! Because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us! For all of us! _It's not over!_ "

Nymphadora frowned as the boy pulled a sword out of the hat, though as she heard the scramble of someone to her left her attention was diverted. Her heart stopped, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes turned wide as Harry James Potter seemingly rose from the dead and threw himself from Rubeus Hagrid's arms. He ran and The Dark Lord threw curses towards him. But she looked to her Aunt Narcissa. Her mouth was open slightly, though it was only a temporary look as she turned to see her niece staring at her.

She knew why she had done it. She wanted the battle to stop. She still hadn't found Draco in the mess of the battle and had been running around the castle without a wand trying to find her only child. She could understand it. She was a mother desperate to find her child, to stop the battle before Draco was hurt. That didn't mean that she could condone it. Regardless of the Potter child's fate, she would have found her son eventually. Dead or alive. But it was too late now.

"Run." Nymphadora said simply and quietly, ignoring the chaos around her as some Death Eaters were beginning to flee as the rest of them ran back into battle, "You find him and you run."

Narcissa hesitated for a moment before she nodded, reaching her hand out to the girl to show her appreciation for not just trying to punish her for their master right there on that spot. But she pulled her hand away, shaking her head and then nodding towards the castle. She could not be seen to associate with the woman now, she had to cut herself away from her Aunt just like she had her mother. Narcissa gave the girl one last look before she took her husband and ran back into the fray in hopes of finding her only child.

Their opponents were running back into the castle already, the Malfoys paying no attention to the rest as they ran to find their child, Narcissa not even hesitating when her sister screamed her name in her anger. Nymphadora looked to the woman for a moment before running up to her.

"Come on," Dora said, "we have a war to finish."

Bellatrix considered the girl for a moment, her eyes still flickering to the spot her sister had disappeared to before she gave a short nod and without warning ran towards the main fray of the battle. Nymphadora struggled to keep up with her, a fact that was made apparent when Rodolphus was quickly running beside her into the castle. Though she was stopped dead in her tracks as she looked into the devastation of the Great Hall. People were duelling all around, fighting for their lives, for their freedom, for what they believed in. The hall was alive with the sound of battle, the likes of which had never been witnessed within its walls before. She was only snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Remus Lupin. He was standing by one of the tables that had been pushed to the side, surrounded by those battling around him though he was only focused on Rabastan as he duelled him singlehandedly. Dora couldn't help the small growl of fury that left her as her hair went red, acting upon instinct she ran to the end of the table and jumped up. She ignored the other few Death Eaters that had gotten the upper hand and were stood along the tables (her Aunt included) as she passed them without seconds thought, only stopping when she reached the end of the table and quickly turning to throw a curse at the turned back of Remus Lupin. The man let out a yell of pain as a cut appeared to slash through the back of his robes and graze his skin underneath, Rabastan laughing as he looked to the girl.

"He's mine," Dora hissed.

"Flattered," Remus coughed, turning to face the witch before they quickly engaged in battle.

Bellatrix's mad cackle echoed throughout the hall over the din of battle. She was stood on the table, laughing as George and Ginny Weasley tried to battle her. It was insane to her, how the two children thought they were capable of taking her down even with their combined force. She was merely toying with them, duelling them with barely her full capacity as she threw away their attempts to bring her down with relative ease. She was amused for now, though the moment she became bored she would put an end to the pair. But she would make the little Weasels dance first.

"Step away from those children!" Minerva McGonagall yelled just as Bellatrix managed to disarm the Weasley girl, storming up to the fray as she pushed the children aside.

"Oh," Bellatrix pouted, "but I was having fun."

Minerva narrowed her eyes at the woman, watching her mad grin carefully as she walked around and took the chairs as a small step to the table as she got to the same level as the woman.

"Looking for a challenge?" Bellatrix giggled.

"Your reign of terror ends here, Bellatrix." McGonagall said firmly, not waiting for the woman to finish her next round of laughter at her comment as she threw a hex at the witch that was narrowly deflected.

Bellatrix stepped backwards, still laughing as she continued to throw spells at the woman, aiming to throw her to the floor before she ended her pathetic old life. It was a periodic dance, the rest of the room falling out of their concentration as the pair battled for their lives on top of the table, each knowing that both of them could not walk away from this battle. Bellatrix laughed again as the older witch stumbled backwards at the force of one of her spells, a cut appearing on the woman's left arm. The professor inspected her wound for a split second before she attacked the Death Eater with renewed determination.

But Bellatrix continued to duel, with a grin on her face even as she was pushed further towards the end of the table not once letting it show on her features that she was losing the upper hand of their fight. The thought never passed her mind. It was only as the jet of green light came towards her, however, that Bellatrix Lestrange realised this was not a fight she was walking away from.

A yell of fury echoed the hall, the room seeming to stop as Bellatrix toppled off of the end of the table, falling in a heap on the floor. Nymphadora looked from her paused duel, her eyes widening as she noticed what had happened when her Lord turned his attention towards Minerva McGonagall. She didn't particularly notice as Harry Potter ran forward to The Dark Lord, ready to engage in his own final battle. Her feet were already moving as she stormed towards her Aunt, hoping that the woman had merely been knocked out even though the doubt in her mind fuelled by her master's reaction lay heavy on her. McGonagall had already moved out of her path, all eyes on the battle between Potter and Lord Voldemort as she stopped to look down at her Aunt.

She jumped down, hesitating a moment before she knelt down to the woman. Nymphadora Tonks looked down to the body of Bellatrix Lestrange with a cold shock settling over her like a ton of rocks sitting in the pit of her stomach. The witch that had helped raise her, that had been there for her since her childhood, that had introduced her to the life she knew, had helped her through so much . . . She still had the echo of a grin etched on her lips as her eyes, once so full of passion and determination, stared blankly into nothingness. A once strong and powerful witch reduced to a lifeless corpse.

Nymphadora didn't realise as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't notice as the Rodolphus struggled to make his way over to them from the opposite end of the hall. She barely lost her train of thought as her head turned to see their master fall. She didn't register it though, even as the majority of the remaining Death Eaters began to flee. She only snapped out of her thought entirely as a curse hit her in the back, making her twist as she fell on her back next to the lifeless form of her Aunt Bellatrix. She was wandless within seconds, staring up at the emotionless face of Remus Lupin as he towered over her from on top of the table she had been previously duelling on. He ensured she was bound and helpless left without a chance to defend herself. She tilted her head to the side just in time to see Rodolphus falling mere feet from her as he too was captured. It was over. They had lost.


	51. Second Chances

The grass glistened with the early morning dew of the cool May morning, the first rays of the day's sunlight creeping to penetrate the net curtains of the kitchen window and cast a faint light on the solid wood table. The wand light that illuminated the crisp pages of that morning's Prophet was turned off silently, the wood placed gently on the table though the sound echoed throughout the empty room.

The page bore only three pictures. One, a distant glimpse of a line of Death Eaters against the outer walls of Hogwarts castle bound in chains, some slumped against the wall struggling to stand due to their injuries or pure exhaustion, others sat on the grass with their heads hung as it was unclear if they remained conscious or even alive, whilst a small few stood with no apparent fear for their fate. The second photograph held the Lestrange brothers, battle worn and not hardly as pristine and well-kept as they usually presented their selves. Rabastan glared towards the camera as if he were in the midst of making a threat to the poor soul behind it, though Rodolphus merely stood there. Blood stained the man's robes as, although he held his head high, his eyes wandered to his side as if disinterested of his surroundings, too lost in thought to care of his fate. The final picture was that of Nymphadora Tonks. The woman's gaze was locked in a steely glare, the only movement in her body the small tug on the chains tightly binding her wrists as she tried to release some of the pressure of her bonds. Though there was something about the look in her eyes, the mousey brown limp hair that hung past her shoulders, the way her teeth remained gritted and determined not to let her mouth open. It was small things that showed it, things that those who did not know her well would perhaps not pick up on, but the sorrow underlying the hatred and anger was clearly there to reveal itself unwillingly only to those that knew her.

The large print at the top of the page simply read "Death Eater Trials Begin", the article itself had been read in that particular kitchen at least twice by this point, but still eyes trailed down the words for a third time . . .

_Two days after what is sure to go down as the most famous wizarding battle in history at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft of Wizardry, with the Ministry returning from it's tyrannical hold of you-know-who's regime his servants are beginning to be brought to justice. The list of those of his followers captured, or even killed, is thankfully long with Bellatrix Lestrange being the most notable death. Though those who managed to evade capture are still being brought in to justice it is important to focus not on those still to be captured, but instead focus on the success of the capture of those whose tirade of evil has been brought to an abrupt end._

_Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange (pictured left) and Nymphadora Tonks (pictured right), are amongst a few—though perhaps the most notable—of those captured. Both Lestrange brother's have previously been captured and set to be sent to Azkaban prison, Rabastan originally sent in 1981 for the torture of Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom (a crime that was more recently revealed to also be the responsibility of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange) only to escape in 1995 for a short period of time until 1996 when both brothers were sent to Azkaban for their part in the break in at the Ministry of Magic. Though there will be no escape this time, the Ministry has assured the Wizarding public._

_Nymphadora Tonks however has not yet been to Azkaban prison, a fact that is sure to change after the trials of tomorrow. The witch is most famed for the trail of dead bodies she has left over the years, having been outed as the Witch whose signature was to leave her victims with purple hair after their brutal murder. This fact alone leads the Ministry to be able to connect her to countless murders. However, she was not a silent partner in the war having been seen causing havoc on many occasions even when the witch was noticeably pregnant with her first and only child. Tonks will leave behind her child with deceased Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr, having only registered the birth of Cassiopeia Crouch mere weeks before the battle that saw her downfall. It is arguably a fate deserving of the woman who helped tear apart so many families. Though some argue there is no punishment harsh enough for both these and the many other prisoners now awaiting their fate._

_The Ministry has given statement in regards to the trials and the battle itself—_

There was a knock at the door. A single knock. An almost hesitant knock, as if the person trying to intrude on the homeowner was half hoping that they weren't in. The paper was laid back on the table, the wand picked back up again as the sound of the occupied chair being pushed back echoed through the room. As they approached the front door the silhouette of a woman through the frosted glass could be seen. There was hesitation for a moment, pausing on the carpeted hallway as they considered who they knew could possibly disturb the silence of the home. But the moment was short lived, taking in a deep breath she took the few short strides towards the door and opened it.

Narcissa Malfoy turned her head as the door opened on her, an awkward smile flickering on her lips for the briefest of moments.

"Andromeda," Narcissa breathed, "you look . . . nice."

Andromeda Tonks couldn't help but let out a huff of amusement. She was stood at her door with her hair pulled up into a messy bun, her silk dressing gown hanging loosely on her to reveal her nightdress.

"It's early," Andromeda said, pulling her dressing gown more tightly around herself.

"Well," Narcissa forced a slight smile, "you've always been an early riser . . . I assumed that hadn't changed."

"What do you want?" Andromeda asked impatiently.

"Can I come in?" Narcissa asked.

"Embarrassed to be seen on a blood traitors doorstep?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow, "You could do as Bellatrix seemed fit and blast the door down, it gets you in a lot quicker."

"I never—" Narcissa cringed, "I was never part—I didn't agree—"

"Come in, Narcissa," Andromeda sighed, rolling her eyes as she stepped aside to let her younger sister enter her home.

Narcissa didn't hesitate to cross the threshold, making to tuck a stray strand of hair that wasn't there behind her ear in a way of hiding the blush on her pale face. Andromeda pointed to the living room, watching her sister enter the room before with a deep breath she closed the front door and made to follow her. Narcissa was stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, turning from her inspection of the photographs on the mantle to turn to her sister. With a quick notion from Andromeda she took a seat on the sofa, watching Andromeda summon a pot of tea and two tea cups.

"Tea?" Andromeda asked flatly.

"I—" Narcissa seemed surprised for a moment before she nodded, "thank you."

"What?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow as she poured the two cups, enchanting one to float to her sister before she took her own and took a seat on the armchair opposite the blonde witch, "Did you think I'd have forgotten my manners? I'm not Bellatrix."

Narcissa flinched at the sound of their older sister's name, "No, of course not," Narcissa said hurriedly before she took a sip of her tea. She could feel her older sister's eyes boring into her, looking up to see the woman staring at her with an emotionless mask placed upon her features. "I—I take it you heard about Bella . . ."

"I did," Andromeda said, "it was only a matter of time before she got herself killed."

"I-I suppose so . . ." Narcissa said quietly, nodding a little as she looked down at the carpet.

"But you didn't come here to talk about Bellatrix," Andromeda said simply, leaning forward and placing her tea on the coffee table, "surely you would know I wouldn't care for such talk."

"She—" Narcissa took a deep breath, straightening up slightly as she looked to the woman, "Regardless of what she's done she was our sister, we _all_ cared for each other once, Dromeda."

Andromeda narrowed her eyes slightly at the younger witch, unable to help the slight anger that seeped into her voice as she spoke, "She is also the woman who put the Cruciatus on me when I left the family home, the woman who lost her senses and killed, tortured— _destroyed_ people—for a madman," Narcissa flinched slightly at the mention of Lord Voldemort, "she took my daughter, turned her against me and then made it so that they both came back—not too long ago, in case you've forgotten—and murdered my husband in front of me. So, forgive me, _Cissa_ , if I feel little emotion for the woman."

Silence fell on the two witches, Narcissa closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to convince herself she wasn't insane for going to the woman. Andromeda watched her curiously for a moment, almost enjoying watching her sister squirm as she beat around the bush as to the true reason she had decided to visit her home.

"I—I'm sorry," Narcissa breathed, looking up to her sister with a rare but true look of remorse, "I had nothing to do with that. I never agreed with it from the moment that I found out. I tried to talk sense into Bellatrix but—" Narcissa sighed, there was no excuse, she had never been more firm with Bellatrix because deep down she had feared upsetting her—feared what she would do. "Andromeda," Narcissa swallowed, "if I could go back and change it I would."

"But you can't," Andromeda let out a short huff of laughter, "you wouldn't. You can't tell me that you're at least a little satisfied that I've been left with nothing? No Black fortune, no family, on my own just as you swore I would be left as when I left the family."

"I—That was a long time ago, a different time," Narcissa shook her head, placing her tea down on the coffee table as she tried to explain herself, "I _am_ sorry. I obviously can't say I ever approved of the mu—of _Ted_ , but I'm sorry that you're alone. I'm sorry about what Bellatrix did to you . . . and I'm sorry I didn't do anything about it . . . I _really_ am."

Andromeda watched the woman in front of her. She looked more worn down than usual, the last few days events—or perhaps even the events of the last few years—had clearly gotten to her, even the glimmer of a slight tear could be seen in her blue eyes. Andromeda couldn't help but be annoyed at herself for feeling even ever so slightly sorry for her. She put her wand on the arm of her chair, relaxing her posture ever so slightly as she looked to her sister.

"You're not here to talk about Bellatrix though," Andromeda said matter of factly, "you're here about Nymphadora . . . aren't you?"

Narcissa hesitated for a moment before she nodded slightly, "She . . . well, you've seen the news surely. She's due to be put on trial tomorrow."

"I won't be going," Andromeda said, "I considered it . . . but she's not my daughter anymore—she hasn't been for a long time. I think it is best for me to stay away from it all."

"I'm not saying you should," Narcissa shook her head, "though she won't have anyone else for her there—Lucius and I can't attend, not that we would and the boys are being put on trial separately. Something about singling them out for their individual crimes rather than 'bulking it all together' . . ."

"She was busy during the war," Andromeda scoffed, "I should know."

"Yes . . ." Narcissa said, "but she wasn't just fighting or doing The Dark Lord's bidding . . . she had a life . . . she had a child, _your grandchild_."

Andromeda let out a short cold laugh, "I highly doubt she would be thrilled if I started claiming Cassiopeia as my grandchild."

"Cassie . . ." Narcissa hummed, "she's a beautiful baby. A metamorphmagus, like her mother. She's only little still, barely a month old, but you can tell she'll be a little heartbreaker when she grows up."

"You'll have your hands full then," Andromeda remarked, taking her cup back up and sipping at her tea.

"I—" Narcissa shook her head, "I won't be keeping her."

"Did Nymphadora not leave her to you?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow, playing naïve to what she knew her sister was trying to get at, "I assumed she would leave her to Bellatrix first, then should she not be able to have her she would go to you and Lucius. Or has she left her to some distant Crouch relation?"

"No," Narcissa said, "I mean no there's no Crouch involved and yes, that was how Nymphadora wanted it, but . . . I can't. Lucius and I . . . we're too close to everything still and we have so much to rebuild and we need to get back to normality . . ."

"Lucius doesn't like the idea of a child of two Death Eater's growing up in the Malfoy home?" Andromeda scoffed, "Seems a little . . . well, it seems like Lucius."

"Yes . . . well . . . it's not—"

"I'm not taking her," Andromeda said, "surely you knew that before you came here."

". . . Why?" Narcissa asked, furrowing her brows slightly, "She's your _granddaughter,_ one of the little family you have left."

"I thought I didn't have any family?" Andromeda asked, raising an eyebrow as she drained the last dregs of her tea and put the cup back down.

"You have me . . ." Narcissa's voice was so quiet that if the room had not been completely silent Andromeda Tonks would have struggled to hear her as the blonde witch stared down at the floor, kneading her hands in her lap.

"I have no time for babies," Andromeda said, pretending that she hadn't heard her sister's last comment, "I'm getting old and I haven't the time nor the funds that would grant the life I'm sure her parents intended for her."

"She has the Crouch fortune—though I know that money isn't the true objection here Dromeda, you got away with enough heirlooms to live comfortably for two lifetimes when you left us and I know Ted worked."

"Accusing me of being a thief?" Andromeda laughed, "A great way to convince me." Andromeda rose to her feet, pocketing her wand and gesturing towards the living room door, "I think it's time you left."

"Andromeda," Narcissa pleaded, standing to face her sister "if you don't take her . . . I don't want to think of what will happen. She could end up in some muggle orphanage—"

"She's a metamorphmagus Narcissa," Andromeda rolled her eyes, "you couldn't send her there if you wanted to."

"Well then she'll end up with some random family," Narcissa insisted, "perhaps not knowing who she truly is whilst they secretly despise her for being the child of two famed Death Eaters. She'll have a terrible childhood, we both know what such little love in a child's life can do to a person—and she won't have the kindness of sisters to protect her. You wouldn't let that happen to her. I know you."

"You used to know me," Andromeda hissed, "if you were that concerned you would take her yourself rather than coming to me with your tail between your legs like some immature child!"

" _I can't keep her_ ," Narcissa insisted, "she deserves a good home. A loving home. Despite what her parents would think I know you would give that to her! She's your granddaughter, your flesh and blood, perhaps your second chance—both of your second chances to be part of a loving family, to start again!"

"Get out," Andromeda said calmly, pointing towards the door again.

"Andromeda, please—"

"I said get out!"

Narcissa stood her ground, holding her head high and giving her sister as firm a look as she could muster as she spoke again, "I know you, Andromeda, I know this isn't you. I'll give you some to think about it—I'll bring her over in a couple of days . . . you can atleast meet the girl . . . don't let another child slip away from you."

Andromeda went to yell at the woman again but she found herself speechless, unsure if she was too furious or filled with a thousand other emotions as she drew her wand and opened the front door for her to leave. She didn't look at Narcissa as she walked from the house, though she let out the breath she did not know she was holding as she heard the front door close behind her. She tried to ignore the conversation, to pretend the little visit had never happened as she took the tea set and went to the kitchen. She set the set to wash itself up then walked over to her chair and slumped into it. She buried her head in her hands and closed her eyes as she felt tears threatening to flow down her cheeks. She took a few deep breaths before she opened her eyes again. Her gaze found itself wondering, however, to the open copy of that day's Prophet, settling on the face of her once daughter staring back up at her. She couldn't do this again, she couldn't open up the wounds that still haunted her from the loss of her child and husband.

* * *

She pulled on the chains binding her wrists together. It was a feeble attempt, merely done out of instinct now as she sat on the floor of her small cell. It had seemed to her that she had been in there for weeks, months even, though the Auror that had seen her that morning had assured her that this was only her third day locked in the small space. It was a fact that he used to taunt her, asking her how it would feel to be locked away for life in comparrison to the mere days she had already served. She'd briefly thought in fear about the possibility of the Dementors kiss, though the more that she thought of it the more she'd thought that the creatures would not be so easily reigned back under the Ministry's control after obeying The Dark Lord's command for so long. Perhaps the Ministry would not trust them for their duties anymore? She could only hope. Though she had other things pressing on her mind with far more importance than the small fact of if she be doomed to have her soul ripped from her. It had been three days since she had seen her daughter. Little Cassie would surely be missing her? And her father. She winced slightly at the thought, not wanting to think of the fate she had left her daughter to. Narcissa would see she was well looked after. She was sure of it.

"Tonks!" A voice snarled as the bars to her cell rattled open, "It's your turn."

"For what?" Nymphadora asked, coughing slightly at her attempt to use her voice for the first time in so long.

"Your trial," the man rolled his eyes as he walked into the cell, another man walking in behind him, "Rodolphus has already been, now it's you, then the other Lestrange."

Dora couldn't help but let out a slight huff of laughter. She had not thought of the prospect of a trial, merely assuming that her long wait in the holding cells of the Ministry had been down to the fact that the Ministry was surely trying to empty Azkaban of all the Mudbloods and other prisoners of The Dark Lord.

"My trial?" Nymphadora asked, raising an eyebrow as the man reached down and pulled her to her feet, holding back a wince as she was forced to stand.

"Yes, your bloody trial, are you deaf?" He growled, pushing her forward into the grip of one of his fellow Aurors "Don't see why they bother, they should just give you the kiss."

"They would if they could," another man scoffed, "I heard they're giving up on the Dementors."

Dora couldn't help but let out a short laugh, she had been right in that regard then, the dementors were gone. She hissed as the man gave her a quick harsh push.

"Think this is funny, do you?" the man holding onto her asked, "You won't be laughing soon enough. Fucking scum, the lot of you."

"If you say so," Dora sighed, deciding now was not the time to ask for information, to demand what fate was awaiting her. She was sure she would find out soon enough.

They dragged her down the narrow corridors, uncaring as they walked too fast for her tired body. She looked around her as they pulled her, the corridor twisted and turned at peculiar angles, leading her to believe that they were going along some sort of secret passage towards the courtrooms. Obviously they did not want their prisoners on show to the Wizarding public before they got to their trials. She rolled her eyes at the thought. Death Eaters would parade their prisoners through the atrium if necessary, show the world what they had caught as a show of power. The world had clearly changed again, in more ways than one. She didn't even realise they had reached their destination as they took an abrupt halt at the large doors in front of her, almost tripping over her own two feet as she had to be pulled to stand again.

"Careful, Tonks," the man sneered.

Dora couldn't help but roll her eyes, she had not been called by her surname so much since she was at school, it was strange hearing it used so freely again. Though it didn't quite have the effect of annoyance that they were surely hoping to receive, it simply made the witch wonder at the differences between the Aurors and the Death Eaters. Her mind was too full of worry and thought to care anymore, it seemed easier to put on a display of uncaring. It was a show her Aunt had used for many years, surely it would serve her well in these circumstances.

As the doors opened the light hit her eyes like a shard of glass, causing her to wince and screw up her features at the pain of it. She had not realised how dark it was back in the holding cells, having grown so accustomed to the minimal light. She blinked as the men dragged her forward, trying to keep her pace with them as best as possible though they were purposely making the simple task as difficult as possible. She didn't even realise she had reached the centre of the room until she was pushed down into an uncomfortable wooden chair, her arms held down until the cold metal of chains slithered around her arms and held her firmly in place.

"Nymphadora Tonks?" a voice called out.

"That's what they call me," Nymphadora said, blinking as she became more accustomed to the light.

She had seen these rooms before, though truth be told she never truly thought she would find herself in the position that she was currently in. She looked up at the man who had addressed her, sat up high looking down on her.

"Nymphadora Tonks of Malfoy Manor, previous official residence of Lestrange Manor?" He asked.

"Last I checked," Nymphadora sighed, she knew where this was going to go and saw no reason as to why she should give the man the courtesy of her full attention.

She let her eyes wander around the room, seeing the rows upon rows of seats. She was almost surprised at the number of people glaring down at her, ready to see her 'pay for her crimes'. She even recognised a few, some from the battle at the school, some previous foes unlucky enough to get in the way of the Death Eaters rampage. But as her gaze fell on the one set of eyes not glaring down at her she froze. Andromeda Tonks was dressed smartly, her hands folded on her lap as she stared down at her daughter. Though her features were perhaps neutral to the average onlooker Nymphadora knew better, she could see the disappointment hiding in the witches eyes.

"Nymphadora," the man called, Dora pulling her gaze away from her mother to look up at him, "you stand accused of many, _many_ crimes, some far too terrible to imagine though they must be stated in this court. Do you wish to say anything before we hear them?"

"No . . ." Nymphadora shook her head, gripping the arms of the chair as the chains pinched at her skin.

"Very well," the man cleared his throat as he pulled out the long piece of parchment, "Kidnap of multiple wizards and witches, both aiding in and leading, the use of all three unforgivable curses on countless occasions, breaking into The Ministry of Magic with intent to steal and aiding in the torture of children and murder of Sirius Black, the murder of Emmeline Vance, using magic in front of muggles to both torment and kill them on several occasions though most noticeably . . ."

The list was too long, Nymphadora's attention was failing and she passed her gaze back over the room. She could not see her Aunt Narcissa, she looked over the entirety of the room more than once and she was sure she was not there. She was sure she would be though, she would be looking after Cassie now, surely she would come to see her one last time, to tell her how her daughter was—to at least assure her she was okay. Surely Narcissa had not been arrested too? She had barely had a part in the war apart from the use of her manor and that was hardly willing, she had helped ensure The Dark Lord lost for Merlin's sake.

She found herself looking at her mother again, she could feel her gaze burning into her more than anyone else's no matter where she looked in the room. Why was she there? She had not seen her since she had broken into her childhood home and killed her father. She had blamed Bellatrix then, but surely she also hated her for it. Surely she had not come to see her daughter in the hopes that she would be okay? The idea was laughable.

". . . the murder of your father, Ted Tonks," Nymphadora pulled her eyes away from her mother as she looked at the man again at the sound of her father's name, "the kidnap of Luna Lovegood, the torture of Hermione Granger, the murder of Molly Weasley and the capture, torture or murder of countless others. Do you have anything to say in regards to these accusations?"

Nymphadora considered the man for a moment, tilting her head as she thought for a moment.

"You missed out a few," Dora smirked slightly, she knew she was going down for life regardless of what she said and the gasps and cries of outrage of some of the room amused her a little.

"Silence!" The man commanded, glaring at Nymphadora as she snickered at the reaction she had caused, "It is the belief of this court that you spend the rest of your days in Azkaban prison," some of the crowd cheered, though Nymphadora merely looked up at the man with little interest, "and that your child Cassiopeia Crouch will be deemed a ward of the court should a suitable guardian not be found for her within seven days. Miss Tonks, despite your wishes we have also come to the conclusion that the Malfoy's do not fall into the category of suitable guardians due to their part in the war."

"What?" Nymphadora barely breathed, her face growing paler. They couldn't dictate where Cassie would go. They could not put her where they pleased, that was _her daughter_.

"Court dismissed," the man said finally, motioning for the Aurors to come and take her away again.

"You can't do this . . ." Dora mumbled, shaking her head as she saw her mousey brown strands begin to tinge red slightly, "You can't do this!"

Though, except for the few cheers as the woman was dragged to her fate they all ignored her yells as she protested the fate of her child.

* * *

Andromeda walked down the narrow corridors, watching the Auror in front of her as he glanced back towards her every few steps. He must have thought she was insane. Why would she want to come here? Trapesing down the dim narrow corridors of the Ministry to see the woman who had murdered her husband, regardless of the fact that woman was her own flesh and blood; her daughter. She even thought herself insane for it. She had not even planned to go to the trial, she did not want to see her own daughter sentenced for her crimes, for so many terrible crimes. But something had drawn her to it, whether she was a sucker for the emotional pain of it all or if her visit from her estranged sister had gotten to her, she did not know. She winced as they approached her daughter's cell, ignoring the stares of the few eyes she recognised as they sat chained in their own torment. She could hear her daughter already.

"Let me see her!" Nymphadora's scream echoed down the halls, "I need to see my child! I need Cassie! I need Narcissa to bring her! I need to talk to her!"

As they rounded the corner Andromeda could see another Auror stood at her cell door, laughing to himself as her daughter screamed at him.

"You fucking scum!" Nymphadora screeched, "You soulless piece of shit! You—Ah!"

Andromeda watched as the Auror threw a hex into the cell, hearing the thud of Nymphadora falling back into a wall. She flinched slightly, unable to help but glare at the Auror leading her to the woman as he turned back to look at her.

"Oi!" The man called out to his fellow Auror, "She's got a visitor."

The man glared at him for a moment, looking around him to Andromeda he scoffed at the sight of her before shaking his head and walking off in the opposite direction muttering underneath his breath. The Auror led her forward, walking past the cell and nodding towards the door.

"I'll be waiting down the end," he murmured, his eyes flickering towards the cell door for a moment before he shook his head and walked off, "yell if you need me."

Andromeda rolled her eyes as the man turned away from her before she looked towards the cell. She could not see into the small space but she watched as her daughter's hands rushed forward with the clatter of chains to grip onto the bars.

"Aunt Cissa?" Dora whispered hopefully.

Andromeda took a deep breath, composing herself before she walked over to the cell. The slight look of hope quickly faded from her daughter's features, the woman freezing for a moment before her stare narrowed into a cold glare. She stood back from the bars as Andromeda looked the woman up and down, she was still in her battle-worn robes, her hair back to a mousey brown laying limply on her shoulders. She rubbed her arm slightly, clearly stung from the hex that had been thrown at her.

"Not quite," Andromeda responded, "I don't think you'll be seeing her."

Nymphadora curled her lip in distaste at the woman, "What do you want?" she hissed, "Here to gloat? To tell me _I told you so_? How you _told me_ Auntie Bella was a horrible person and that I would end up here?" she spat, "Save it."

"I didn't come here to say that," Andromeda sighed, "though you make a valid point."

Nymphadora continued to glare at the woman, twisting the chains in her hands, "Then tell me what you did come here for and get out of here."

"Dora," Andromeda sighed, shaking her head slightly, " . . . I wish it never came to this."

"I don't need your pity party," Dora scoffed.

"No . . ." Andromeda nodded, "I heard about your daughter, Cassiopeia? It's a pretty name, a star name . . . From the Andromeda constellation, I believe?"

"I liked the name," Nymphadora said, averting her gaze from her mother, "it means nothing."

"Of course not," Andromeda smiled slightly, shaking her head in amusement at the stubbornness of her daughter, "it's pretty."

"What did you come here for?" Nymphadora asked again.

". . . Narcissa came to see me yesterday," Andromeda said, her features as calm and unreadable as possible as she tried to push down her own emotions at the sight of her daughter and the awfulness of the situation, "she wanted to talk about Cassiopeia. She told me she couldn't have her, asked—"

"You aren't having her!" Nymphadora yelled, "There's more than just the Malfoys that could take her."

"Is there?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow, "Do you not think if there was they would have come forward by now?"

"She isn't some do-over!" Dora hissed after a few moments, "She's not there for another of your failed attempts at trying to raise a girl again, she's _my daughter_. You'll just end up fucking it up, just like you did with me."

"I never did anything wrong with you, Nymphadora," Andromeda sighed, "It was all in your head, everything twisted and warped by my sister to turn you against me. I know you couldn't see that when you were a child but surely you realise that now? Surely you aren't still so naïve to it all?"

"She cared about me," Nymphadora spoke through gritted teeth, unable to deny what her mother was saying.

"I'm sure she did," Andromeda nodded, "in the end. Bellatrix always had a way of becoming overly fond of her little projects, one way or another. I'm sure she became attached to you eventually."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I do," Andromeda said simply, "You know I do. Perhaps I shouldn't have reacted in the way that I did to your . . . _association_ with her . . . but what is done is done. I'm sure we've both done things we regret."

"Is that what you want to hear?" Nymphadora scoffed, "That I regret joining The Dark Lord? That I wish I never hurt all of those people? _Killed_ all those people?" Nymphadora paused for a moment, averting her gaze a the thought of her father flashed across her mind. She looked away from her mother, straightening herself up again before looking back at her with a determined look set on her features, "Well I don't."

"Of course . . ." Andromeda practically whispered, hesitating for a moment before she sighed, "Well I told Narcissa I wouldn't take Cassiopeia, so you'll be pleased to hear that. I'm sure she'll do just fine in some orphanage or perhaps with a family who holds some grudge against her parents. She'll grow up to be just as strong-willed and stubborn as you are, I'm sure."

Nymphadora remained silent, gritting her teeth as she tried not to think of the future her daughter faced. A small cough sounded to the left of the cell and Andromeda looked to see the Auror that had brought her there standing a few feet from the cell, clearly he had had enough of waiting for her.

"Well," Andromeda looked to her daughter, "I'm sure you'll both be fine. Be grateful for the fact that they've said they will no longer be using dementors for Azkaban—though I'm sure it will still be rather unpleasant. I'll let Narcissa know that my decision stands." Andromeda waited for the girl to respond, unsure what she was hoping she would say, though she merely gave a curt nod. The woman sighed as she nodded back at the girl, "Goodbye, Dora."

The older witch turned, taking one last look at her daughter before she walked towards the Auror.

"Mum!" the yell came as Andromeda was mere feet from the view of her cell, she stopped in her tracks to listen, though she did not turn back or respond.

"I—Don't let her forget me!" Nymphadora yelled, her tears evident in the crack of her voice, "A-And it's Cassie! She's Cassie . . . she's mine . . . don't let her forget that . . ."

Andromeda closed her eyes, cursing herself for the hot sting of tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. She didn't respond, she didn't turn back and run to her only child. After taking a deep breath she opened her eyes and nodded to the Auror, continuing to walk away from the girl knowing that she would not see her again.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Though this time Andromeda Tonks was not in her dressing gown, disturbed from the silence of her own home. She was prepared for her sister's arrival, dressed in one of her better casual dresses with her hair brushed and falling in her perfect natural curls down past her shoulders. As she reached the front door she took a deep breath, catching herself in the mirror on the wall for a moment before opening the door to greet her sister.

Though Narcissa still looked worn compared to her usual standards she seemed to be doing a lot better than when she last visited. She nodded with a small smile to her sister as she stood aside to let her into her home, letting her close the door behind her before she spoke.

"Andromeda," Narcissa said in greeting, adjusting the small bundle in her arms as she noted her sister glancing down, "how are you?"

Andromeda shook her head in slight amusement, no matter the circumstances her sister was always proper, making with the niceties before she got to the matter at hand.

"I take it this is Cassie?" Andromeda asked, nodding to the girl.

"Yes," Narcissa nodded.

The younger witch looked to her sister for a moment before she pulled back the blanket wrapped around the child slightly. _Narcissa was right_ , Andromeda thought, she was beautiful. With her small tuft of lilac hair, her heart-shaped face and her cupid's bow lips, she was perfect . . . and nearly identical to her mother. The little girl whimpered slightly at the movement of Narcissa, stretching her arms slightly and lolling her head to the side as she looked to her grandmother with her dark, twinkling eyes.

". . . I said I wouldn't take her," Andromeda murmured, unable to break her gaze from the child as she spoke to her sister.

"I know . . ." Narcissa swallowed, "but I thought . . . well, I thought you would at least like to meet her. Do you want to hold her?"

Andromeda hesitated for a moment before she nodded, holding her arms out for the girl. She could feel her sister staring at her, waiting for any sort of a reaction as she placed the girls carefully on her arms. She brought the little girl to her shoulder, gently stroking her back as she began to fuss slightly though she quickly settled in her arms, placing her head on her grandmother's shoulder as she looked up into her face as best she could.

"She's a perfect baby, really," Narcissa said after a few moments, "She barely cries, she'll be sleeping through the night soon at this rate, she's barely any trouble, she—"

"Narcissa," Andromeda shook her head as she sighed, looking to her sister for a moment before she nodded towards the stairs.

Narcissa followed the woman obediently, biting her lip as she watched the pair walk up the stairs. She couldn't help but notice the few photographs on the walls, ones of Nymphadora along with the girl's father still hanging on the wall happily—it was almost as if the tragedies that had torn the Tonks family apart had never happened. She noted the open door she passed, the single bed with sheets slightly ruffled in the room covered in posters, clearly Nymphadora's old room. Though they didn't stop until Andromeda reached the last door before what was clearly Andromeda's room. The older witch looked to her sister for a moment as she stopped before with a flick of her hand she opened the door wandlessly and disappeared inside.

As Narcissa entered the room she immediately felt a weight lift from her shoulders, relief flooding over her along with a barrage of other emotions.

The room was not the largest she had seen, though in her opinion for what it represented it was perfect. The walls were a pale pink, an old-fashioned white crib stood to the side, a mobile above it turning slowly from the breeze coming through the window, a matching rocking chair sat in the corner beside a wardrobe that already homed a few items of little girls clothing and on the windowsill sat a photograph of Nymphadora, barely nine years old as she giggled up at the camera, her two blonde plats turning a bubble-gum pink.

"It's mostly Nymphadora's old things," Andromeda said casually, turning her gaze away from the room as she looked to her sister, nodding towards the small bag on her sister's shoulder, "though I'm assuming you have the most of Cassie's things in that bag of yours?"

Narcissa couldn't help but smile at the woman as she gave a small nod, "I thought you weren't taking her?"

"Well, it's like you said . . ." Andromeda murmured as she looked down at her granddaughter now resting happily against her chest, gently stroking the hair from her face "Everyone deserves a second chance, don't they?"


	52. Epilogue

Footsteps pounded down the stairs, audible over the low volume of the wireless in the kitchen as the witch rolled her eyes with a sigh at the sound. The crash of something toppling over in the corridor was predictable, expected even. She turned around from her observation of the morning's dishes that were currently cleaning themselves within the sink and crossed her arms just in time to see the girl slamming open the kitchen door. Her hair was bright pink in two long plats, a grin plastered on her heart-shaped face and an excited glimmer shone from her dark eyes as she clutched an envelope in her hands.

"Nan!" Cassiopeia Crouch exclaimed as she ran into the counter beside her grandmother to stop herself.

"Cassie," Andromeda sighed, "how many times have I told you not to run in the house?"

"Umm . . ." Cassie bit her lip for a moment as if doing the maths in her head before she grinned and looked up at the woman, "I lost count."

"Of course you did," Andromeda couldn't help but smirk in amusement, "what ornament have you broken this time?"

"None!" Cassie laughed, "Cross my heart, honest."

"So I imagined something falling over out there?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the young girl.

"No," Cassie shrugged, "it was the cat."

"We don't have a cat."

"No," Cassie agreed, an all too familiar mischievous smirk playing on her features as she pulled herself up to sit on the counter, laughing as her grandmother immediately took her hand to help her down again, "but I will. When you get me one."

"Oh?" Andromeda shook her head, returning to the dishes as she waved her wand to ensure they returned clean and dry to their rightful places, "I'm getting you a cat, am I?"

"Yep," Cassie nodded, "a big fluffy white cat. That's what I want. I'll call her . . . Snowball."

"Very inventive," Andromeda mused, smirking at the girl as she gave her a mock scowl.

"It doesn't need to be inventive," Cassie shrugged, "it's adorable. You know it's adorable and you will love that cat just as much as I already do."

"Cassie," Andromeda turned to face the girl again, "have you got a cat hiding in your bedroom?"

"No," Cassie gasped in mock offence, "how dare you accuse me of doing something like that?"

"Of course," Andromeda shook her head, walking over to the small table and sitting down as she nodded towards the letter in her granddaughter's hand, "who's the letter from?"

"Oh!" Cassie jumped in excitement, having temporarily forgotten the original cause for her excitement. She rushed to sit next to her grandmother, sitting up straight in her chair she unfolded the letter with dramatic flair, clearing her throat and reading from the parchment in her most sophisticated voice. Andromeda couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she noted the broken red wax seal, " _Dear Miss Crouch, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find a list of all necessary books and equipment, which your grandmother must go out and buy you immediately—along with some nice dresses . . . and chocolate . . . and other things. Spoil her rotten._ "

"Well," Andromeda sighed, looking wide-eyed to the girl, "that letter has certainly changed since my day."

"Well, Nan, that was a long time ago," Cassie nodded, laughing as Andromeda nudged her slightly.

"The cheek of you," Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"I mean," Cassie shook her head, "I could let you read it . . . but I think it's just best to take my word. I mean, it is my birthday after all."

"I see," Andromeda nodded, "the multiple presents this morning weren't enough?"

"Never," Cassie let out a small laugh before sighed and put the letter back on the table, flattening it out and staring at it.

"What's wrong?" Andromeda frowned slightly.

"Nothing," Cassie shook her head, "I just can't believe it . . . _Hogwarts_."

"Did you not expect the letter?" Andromeda asked, reaching over and stroking some of the girl's hair out of her face, "You've clearly proven you've got magical ability since birth and the letters do come on your eleventh birthday . . ."

"I know," Cassie nodded, still staring at the letter.

"Then what's wrong?" Andromeda asked.

"Nothing," Cassie looked up to the woman with a small forced smile.

"You're a terrible liar," Andromeda shook her head, smiling kindly at the young witch, "you know you can talk to me."

"I know . . ." Cassie sighed, "it's just . . . Hogwarts . . . do you think . . . well . . . I don't know."

"You're worried?" Andromeda asked, the little girl nodding.

"What's it like?" Cassie asked.

"It's . . . _magical_ ," Andromeda said, smirking as the girl let out a huff of laughter, "it's whatever you make of it. You'll learn so much, meet new people, make lots of friends . . ."

"Will I?" Cassie asked, uncertainty in her voice.

"Yes," Andromeda said, "despite your clumsiness and your sheer cheek you are a very lovable young lady."

"But what about . . ." Cassie shook her head, "People will know who I am, _who my parents are_ , I don't think they'll like me. My parents . . . well . . . they killed people, hurt them, did some really bad things . . . didn't they?"

"You're not your parents," Andromeda assured her.

"You tell me I'm like Mum all the time," Cassie rolled her eyes.

"You are," Andromeda nodded, "you're like your mother _so much_ , but your mother wasn't always what the world makes her out to be. People aren't born Death Eaters, sometimes even the best of people get pulled off the right path and turn into something that you never thought they would become."

" . . . Like Bellatrix did to Mum? She 'pulled her off her path'?" Cassie looked up at her grandmother, frowning slightly as she nodded.

"Yes," Andromeda sighed, "your mother was a wonderful child. She was full of life, mischievous, _clumsy,_ though I suppose she was rather well behaved up until she was around eleven or twelve."

"So I could still turn into that side of her?" Cassie looked down at the table again, the pink beginning to fade from her hair, she looked back up at her grandmother only when she felt her hand squeeze her arm.

"Do you want to be like that?" Andromeda asked earnestly, "Do you want to hurt people and break the law?"

"No!" Cassie spoke instantly, shaking her head vigorously.

"Then you won't," Andromeda shrugged, "you'll be whoever you want to be. If you want to be good, you'll be good. Your mother didn't want to be good, she . . . strayed off her path, was influenced by the wrong people—maybe part of that was my fault, but I assure you if that is not what you want to happen I will never let it happen to you."

". . . She's not all bad though, is she?" Cassie asked, "She's not . . . evil. She's always made out to be some sort of monster."

"You've met your mother, Cassie," Andromeda sighed, "She loves you more than anything and 'monsters' don't love at all. She made some bad choices and now she faces the consequences of it as she should, that is all. You are an entirely different person and not to be defined by her bad choices."

"I suppose . . ." Cassie agreed, "But the other children won't see it like that, it's not just Mum's reputation I have to live with it's Dad's too—and even Bellatrix and her husband and all of that."

"I won't lie to you," Andromeda said, "it may be difficult at first, you may not have it easy, but you're strong. You'll adapt and you'll learn and I promise you no matter how hard it may seem at first you will find friends and you will love your school years. You'll come back for the summer next year counting down the days until you go back the minute you step off that train."

"Promise?" Cassie raised an eyebrow at the witch, a shadow of a smile on her cupids bow lips.

Andromeda gave a small nod, leaning over and kissing the girl's hair as the pink returned to her plats.

"But what if I'm in Slytherin? Like them?" Cassie asked, "Then I'll be even more like them and that house is just full of bad people."

"Excuse me?" Andromeda scoffed, "I would like to remind you that a very good Slytherin is sitting right in front of you now—and I'm not the only one. Narcissa was a Slytherin, she's not a bad person, _Merlin_ was a Slytherin . . . Besides, I don't think you'd fit Slytherin," she teased, "I mean, you'd be great regardless of what house you're in but if you don't want to be in the _best house_ . . ." she smiled as the girl let out a scoff of laughter, "Your grandfather was in Hufflepuff, I always used to think Dora would be too . . . but maybe she chose differently."

"You can choose?" Cassie raised her eyebrows at the woman.

"Of course," Andromeda nodded, "the sorting hat will take your wishes into consideration . . . but I would let the hat decide where you truly belong. Regardless of what house you're in it does not affect who you are as a person. You're still my beautiful, good, somewhat crazy granddaughter."

Cassie laughed, "Thanks, Nan—and you're my awesome, good, somewhat crazy grandmother."

"Again with the cheek." Andromeda gave a dramatic sigh, standing up from her chair and raising an eyebrow at the young girl as she picked up her Hogwarts letter and inspected the list, "Now, I suppose we have some shopping to do and I'm fairly certain you will want to go today, correct?"

"Yes," Cassie grinned.

"Well then," Andromeda gestured to the door, "you best go get dressed."

"Can Aunt Cissa come?" Cassie asked hopefully, "She's really good at picking out dresses and like I said, the letter does say dresses—Oh don't bother checking, it's in invisible ink so you can't see it."

Andromeda rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement, "I'll contact Cissa via the floo, though I'm sure she won't protest to a little shopping trip."

"Thanks Nan, you're the best." Cassie laughed, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss her grandmother's cheek before she went to leave the room. She paused at the door, waiting until she had opened it until she turned around and said to her grandmother "Oh, by the way, there _is_ a cat in my bedroom, she's called Snowball and she was a birthday present from Aunt Cissa. I knew you wouldn't mind, thanks Nan!"

Andromeda couldn't help but laugh at the girl as she ran from the room, "No running!" she called out as she heard the familiar thud on the stairs again.

"Sorry, Nan!" Cassie yelled back.

It was still a fair few months until the first of September, though to Andromeda Tonks the time seemed to fly by as if it was simply a matter of days. She was soon holding her granddaughters' hand as they pushed through the barrier at Kings Cross Station, watching the girl as she looked around at all of her fellow schoolmates in wonder. Cassie had been unable to keep the pink from her hair that day, despite her original intentions to try to 'blend in' her excitement had overtaken her the moment they left for the station. Though the sight of a pink-haired eleven-year-old raised some eyebrows as they walked through the muggle side of the platform neither witch cared and Andromeda was just happy to see the girl so excited, glad that her previous fears had all but dissolved. Andromeda let the girl take in the moment, watching her proudly as she looked around before eventually grinning up at her. She walked her over to an empty carriage, helping her with her things and giving her a kiss and a hug goodbye before she stepped back ready to watch the train depart.

She smiled as she watched the carriage from a distance, noting a young girl Andromeda presumed to be muggleborn enter. The girls smiled nervously at each other, Cassie agreeing for the girl to join her in her carriage, she watched as her granddaughter pulled out her box of Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans, offering some to her companion and grinning as she appeared to be explaining them to her. As the whistle for the train sounded Andromeda waved at her granddaughter, who quickly jumped up to the window and gave a short wave in return before the train began to move away out of the station and on towards her school.

As Andromeda Tonks woke up the next morning she smiled at the tap on her window from her owl. Stretching slightly she got out of her bed, opening the window and taking the letter gratefully. She recognised Cassie's untidy scrawl, rolling her eyes in amusement as she thought of the lessons she had tried to give the girl to neaten her writing before she left for Hogwarts. The letter didn't say much, merely a few short sentences ending with promises to write more to her soon. It was the first line that stood out to her the most though _'HUFFLEPUFF! Just like Granddad.'_

Andromeda sat back down onto her bed, a smile on her lips as she read the letter again before gently placing it on her bedside table. Her eyes lingered on the photographs beside it, Ted laughing and playing with Nymphadora at seven-years-old as she tried to run from the man only to burst into a fit of giggles as he grabbed her and tickled her mercilessly next to a photograph of Cassie, around three-years-old and smiling up at her grandmother with loving eyes as she read her The Tales of Beedle The Bard. Andromeda paused for a moment longer before she summoned her quill and parchment, ready to write to her daughter to inform her of her daughter's new house (though she was sure Cassie would write to her to tell her too, if she hadn't already).

Though Andromeda had certainly been wary to take on her granddaughter all those years ago, as she sat in her home writing to the daughter that at one point would not talk to her surrounded by photographs and filled with the happy memories Cassie had given her, she did not once regret the decision to take her in and she hadn't from the moment she held her in her arms. Despite her troubled past, Andromeda Tonks was once again truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments and kudos on this story! Please do leave me a comment and let me know what you think or if you have any questions or just want to discuss pretty much anything head on over to my Tumblr the-purple-black. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please do leave me a review and let me know what you think! The Purple Black x


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